for clarinet, cello and piano and theatrical elements
circa  9 minutes
pictured in photo: unheard-of//ensemble
 
PROGRAM NOTES by the composer:
"Proserpina and the Devil" is based on a short playlet by world renowned playwright Thornton Wilder as part of an ongoing project of mine to translate his short works into short theatrical pieces (by permission of the Thornton Wilder Estate). In this case, the inspiration came from a commission by the new music group Unheard-of//Ensemble, based in NYC, whose over-the-top theatricality and virtuosic abilities inspired the choice of subject material. The clarinetist, in this “play for marionettes” is both the Manager of this imagined theatre and the narrator throughout. The other two string players, the pianist and the cellist, are both Manipulators of these imagined marionettes, who argue as their play unfolds in all the wrong ways. 
 
VIDEO SAMPLE