Stephen Stucky

Piano Quintet

A single-span structure is designed to be sturdy enough to withstand frequent shifts of topic; mood swings; tempos changing gears. In this instance; the music tends to be either very slow and introspective; or very fast; hyperactive; extroverted. It is the tug between these two personality types that drives the music forward. --Program Note. 'A listener couldn't help but be drawn to mid-20th-century Eastern Europe. In the percussive piano clusters and tense strings of the beginning; the mournful chorale-like section that followed and an abrasive; teeth-on-edge section in the middle. There were echoes of Alfred Schnittke and Dmitri Shostakovich; lively rhythmic transitions and pungent harmonies recalled Béla Bartók. One short; repeated figure in quintuple time sounded like a quote from Dave Brubeck's 'Take Five.'' --James McQuillen; Oregon Live; The Oregonian.