Spheres Claremont Trio

• Robert Paterson (1970): Moon Trio:
• 1 I. Moonbeams 05:03
• 2 II. Lunatic Asylum 03:34
• 3 III. Blue Moon 05:53
• 4 IV. Moon Trip 06:00
• Sun Trio (2008 Revised Version):
• 5 I. Sun Day 11:00
• 6 II. Sunset 08:50
• 7 III. Absence of Sun 06:29
• 8 IV. Sunrise 08:08
• 9 V. Sun Dance 05:50
• 10 Elegy (version for 2 cellos and piano) 11:39
• Total Runtime 01:12:26

Info for Spheres

The Claremont Trio – Emily Bruskin, violin; Julia Bruskin, cello; and Andrea Lam, piano – called “one of America’s finest young chamber groups” by The Strad magazine, were the very first winners of the Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson International Trio Award and the only piano trio ever to win the Young Concert Artists International Auditions. Of the group’s CD of trios by Beethoven and Ravel, Audiophile Audition raved, “These are some of the most impassioned, moving, and notable readings of these favorites that I have ever heard, bar none.”

For its latest recording, the Claremont Trio has chosen music by American composer Robert Paterson. Spheres, features three works related to celestial bodies that are intensely evocative both of this theme and of earthly humanity. Spheres features Moon Trio (2015); Sun Trio (1995/2008; recorded with the Claremont’s former pianist, Donna Kwong); and Elegy for Two Cellos and Piano (2006/8; recorded with guest cellist Karen Ouzounian), which references and quotes music included on the Golden Record that was included with the Voyager Spacecraft, with playful imagery of how that music decays along with the craft’s plutonium fuel as the spacecraft exits our solar system.

In these three works, Paterson – a composer whose music has been praised as “gorgeous” (New York Times) and “deeply resonant” (Opera News) – imagines the cosmos, utilizing quotes – overtly or subtly – from works by J.S. Bach, Stravinsky, Bartok, Scriabin, Arensky, and Webern, and a movement inspired by the sound of Indian raga.

“It’s an incredible joy for a composer to work with an ensemble that is a perfect fit for his/her music,” says Paterson. “In the case of the Claremont Trio, I have found that ensemble. Every minute with this trio has a been a pleasure from start to finish. I feel such a deep, almost religious passion for these works, and they matched it – they recorded them perfectly.”

Robert Paterson and the Claremont Trio first became acquainted through music producer and engineer Adam Abeshouse when Paterson asked him, "Which is the best piano trio you've worked with recently?" Without hesitation, Adam said, “the Claremont Trio, of course." Paterson sent them a copy of his Sun Trio – they loved it, and agreed to record it for an album of his works, and then suggested the idea of Paterson composing a brand new trio for them and for this album. That work became Moon Trio.

Claremont Trio

The Claremont Trio
is sought after for its thrillingly virtuosic and richly communicative performances. First winners of the Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson International Trio Award and the only piano trio ever to win the Young Concert Artists International Auditions, the Claremonts are consistently lauded for their "aesthetic maturity, interpretive depth, and exuberance" (Palm Beach Daily News).

Gramophone magazine praised the trio’s “poetry and... thrilling virtuosity” in their Beethoven “Triple” Concerto with the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra, recently released on Bridge Records. Their discography also includes Mendelssohn trios, Shostakovich and Arensky trios, and a disc of American trios; works by Leon Kirchner, Ellen Taaffe Zwilich, Paul Schoenfield, and Mason Bates. A collaborative album with clarinetist Jonathan Cohler garnered a glowing review in Fanfare magazine and received a Critic’s CHOICE award from BBC Magazine.

The Claremont Trio has commissioned new trios by Mason Bates, Paul Chihara, Donald Crockett, Sharon Farber, Howard Frazin, Helen Grime, Gabriela Daniel Kellogg, Lena Frank, Nico Muhly, Robert Paterson, Sean Shepherd, and Hillary Zipper. They have conducted master classes at Columbia University, Eastman School of Music, Duke University, Peabody Conservatory’s Preparatory Division, and the Boston Conservatory. The Claremont Trio was formed in 1999 at the Juilliard School. Twin sisters Emily Bruskin (violin) and Julia Bruskin (cello) grew up in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and they both play old French instruments.

Emily's violin is a Lupot from 1795; Julia's cello is a J.B. Vuillaume from 1849. Andrea Lam (piano) grew up in Sydney, Australia. The ensemble’s members are all now based in New York City near their namesake: Claremont Avenue.

Booklet for Spheres