Sorrow and Joy

Andrea Tarrodi [born 1981]

Sorrow and Joy [2016]

This haunting Duo was originally composed for tenor and cello with lyrics by Johan Ludvig Runeberg as part of a programme called Sounds of Swedish Poetry. Tarrodi then transcribed it for viola and cello and dedicated the new version to the brother-sister pair, Jon and Hanna Dahlkvist from the Dahlkvist Quartet, who had premiered her Second Quartet in 2013. Sometimes very short works like this, less than six minutes long, can reach a place in the heart that longer, possibly more powerful, works just miss. The strong connection between the composer and the musicians is part of the magic. Here it acts as a gentle but moving prelude to Shostakovich’s stupendous wartime Piano Trio.

Francis Humphrys