Pathos is an exploration of color and harmony loosely based on the Stoic concept of Pathos, or “passions”; disturbances which upset the balance of the soul. The piece explores musical representations of distress, delight, fear, and lust all within one movement.

Pathos begins with a suspenseful introduction: the piano plays chords composed of fourths and tritones as the violin trills and the cello plays pizzicato. The strings and piano then begin to trade an eerie melody filled with chromatic lines and harsh intervals between each other. The piano soon picks up speed in the succeeding scherzo-esque section, in which the violin and cello trade a melody played sul tasto - or bowed on the fingerboard - before finally joining as one to play the melody. The piano then barges in, playing dissonant, lacerating chords. The three instruments dance over a rapidly-changing meter, all fighting for dominance, until the piece slows down and becomes a chilling soundscape of string harmonics, over which the piano echoes motives from earlier in the piece before dying away.

6 minutes | 2024