Chaconne with Chorale and Moto Perpetuo

Colin Matthews composed these two pieces for violin and piano in 1988. The 6-minute work opens with a Chaconne. The bassline theme is given in the depths of the piano as the violin spins melismatic figures high above, followed by a more impassioned sequence with double stops in the violin. A vibrant, rich Chorale brings the first piece to an expressive climax. The Moto Perpetuo is built on a frantic, rising ostinato in the piano, into which the violin interjects, before picking up the semiquaver figuration; its conclusion is abrupt and dramatic. They form a four-part sequence with Matthews’ Capriccioletto & Omaggio and can be performed as a set.