• Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
  • About
    • Bio
    • FAQ/Resources
    • Photos
    • Instagram
  • Catalog
  • which piece should I perform?
    • Orchestra Recommendations
    • Choral Recommendations
  • Shop
  • Contact
  • Cart
  • Search

Reena Esmail

Composer

Piano Quintet

June 11, 2010 by

caption for the image here
(this could also be a video if we have a good video for the piece)

Program Notes

This Piano Quintet is an incredibly special piece in my catalog. It is in this piece that I began exploring elements of Hindustani classical music for the first time.

My path to Hindustani classical music was circuitous: at the point I wrote this piece, I had been yearning for years to understand the music of my own culture, but I hadn’t quite found my way in. It wasn’t until my mid-20s, and (surprisingly) during my Masters program at Yale School of Music, that I truly began to engage in a thorough study of the music from my own culture. The minute I felt my voice make that first little gamak, something opened in me, and I knew I had no other choice but to continue peering intently down that path.

Practically, this is my first attempt at an aalap (unmetered improvisation) section for a Western ensemble. The outer two sections have overlapping melodies that are reminiscent of those found at the beginning of a performance of Hindustani vocal music. And the middle section uses a beautiful bandish (song) called Jhanan Jhanan, in Raag Bihag, about Lord Krishna as a mischievous child stealing butter. I love the intimacy of Bihag, the way it slides between the two Ma-s (sharp and natural 4) with such love and sweetness.

This piece is the first step of what became, from that moment forward, a lifelong journey into the space between these two cultures that define me.

Recording

Nicholas Pappone, Zoe Martin-Doike, violins; Dashiel Nesbitt, viola;
Benjamin Larsen, cello; Lee Dionne, piano
recorded at the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, Norfolk, CT

Domenic Salerni, Chen Xi, violins; Amina Myriam Tebini, viola;
Ben Larsen, cello; Lee Dionne, piano

Premiere/Performances

This piece was commissioned by Norfolk Chamber Music Festival. It was premiered on August 14, 2010 in Norfolk, CT. The premiere performers were Nicholas Pappone and Zoe Martin-Doike, violins; Dash Nesbitt, viola; Benjamin Larsen, cello; Lee Dionne, piano.

View Product
Instrumentation: two violins, Viola, cello, piano
Duration: 12'
Year: 2010
Movements: 1
Commissioned By:

Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, Norfolk CT


 

Esmail is the Los Angeles Master Chorale’s 2020-2025 Swan Family Artist in Residence, and was Seattle Symphony’s 2020-21 Composer-in-Residence. She also holds awards/fellowships from United States Artists, the S&R Foundation, the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and the Kennedy Center.

Quick links

  • Bio
  • Catalog
  • Press
  • Shop
  • Contact

Contact Details

Requesting a perusal copy of choral music
Email: manager@reenaesmail.com

Offer volume discounts to wholesalers for print orders
Please inquire at: info@reenaesmail.com

All other inquiries
Please email: manager@reenaesmail.com

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn