Chiaroscuro

The two-hand composition on tonight’s program is “Chiaroscuro” by Willem Jeths. The work was written in 1995 and dedicated to pianist Eddy Janning, who will perform it this evening. Testifying to the work’s internal complexities, “Chiaroscuro” was later arranged by Jeths for a six-player chamber ensemble. Jeths resides and teaches in the Netherlands. He received top honors in composition from the Utrecht Conservatory, and has since had performances and excellent reviews from venues all over Europe. Striving for the mood created by a play of light and shadow (“chiaroscuro” is the Italian term for this opposition in painting; think of Velazquez), Jeths has crafted a work that is both intense and atmospheric. Dissonant minor seconds function like a primary motive, permeating much of the work with an edgy darkness that offsets faint resonances of more consonant and traditional triadic sonorities.

(c) Jason Stell