Commissioned by the American Guild of Organists for the 2019-2020 Student Commissioning Project. 

Recorded by Bradley Vogel at St Anne Church in Rochester, NY on November 29, 2020. Special thanks to the Bradley for assistance with registration!

The Storm Approaches

My first real foray into the string quartet genre has been an interesting journey, and one that in hindsight I feel must have been partially inspired by Bartók, if only subconsciously; I was studying his quartets for the first time (specifically Nos. 3-6) as I was writing the piece. “Quartet Fragments” contains many short sections that flow one into the other attacca, yet there are recurring motifs that I aim to use to unite the work. Examples include a pulsating drone in repeated sixteenth notes which occurs in different registers and dynamics, and a scalar motion going up one or two steps. A few cadenza-like moments occur throughout the piece—whether for a solo instrument, or for several in dialogue with each other. For all the intensity in certain sections, the work is meant to exude a sense of crazy fun. While improvisation is not required from the players, the music should flow spontaneously from one idea to the next with abandon.

PERFORMERS:
Lily Dunlap and Lydia Becker, violins
Lucy Gelber, viola
Joëlla Becker, cello

Premiered on Composers' Concert in Kilbourn Hall at Eastman School of Music on April 15, 2021 (watch video performance here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdO2ZKSN3gA)

Composers' Concert 4/15/21

Quartet Fragments

This piece was commissioned by Luis Perez Canabal, a McNair Scholar at Central Washington University as part of his McNair project on Violin Romances. When I began to write the piece, I had to consider the word "romance" means. The word doesn't convey a strucutral image; I suppose simply the spirit of the piece is what's important. One of the most prominent motifs used in this work is freely adapted from the main theme of Chopin’s Polonaise-Fantasie in A-flat major, Op 61 for solo piano, one of my favorite pieces (which I was learning for the first time as I was writing the romance). The tune appears in the first bars as a ghostly echo of some distant memory, and it recurs throughout the piece. The Polonaise-Fantasie's climax is quoted almost verbatim near the end of the piece, although the cadence is altered in a surprising twist.

PERFORMERS:
Robert Sanders, violin
Charles Berofsky, piano

Premiered on Composers' Concert in Kilbourn Hall at Eastman School of Music on May 4, 2021 (watch video performance here: https://youtu.be/xc8CoIL5mGY)

Long Lost Love

Composed in three attacca movements, this piece depicts a series of moods and images that flow from one to the other seemingly without reason or sense, as if one is in a series of uneasy dreams. Written for the standard piano quartet instrumentation, the strings (violin, viola, and cello) and piano are often juxtaposed as two separate choirs, yet at other times they are all combined to represent confusion. Nonetheless, there is definite organization present, as themes are used across movements and in contrapuntal textures to create a sense of coherence.

Recorded by Aaron Berofsky, Kathryn Votapek, Nathaniel Pierce, and Charles Berofsky at University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre, and Dance on November 24, 2017

Uneasy Dreams

Performed live in concert by Carrie Rehkopf Michel (violin) and John Michel (cello) on May 10, 2018

Two Duets for Violin and Cello

In Breathless Pursuit

Spirals is a piece I’ve lived with for a couple years now, and I still find myself experimenting with it and tweaking details. This work is full of energy, meant to be exciting and epic. The harmonic language is, to a certain extent, that of a post-minimalist style, reminiscent of modern film music. Composed in rondo form, the opening begins with a theme that ’spirals’ and returns throughout the work. While the various themes and motifs in this work are not really developed throughout the piece, there are slight changes in texture and harmony each time they return. Special emphasis is given to the rich bass register of the piano, which helps convey a level of gravitas. There are also technical difficulties for the performer; namely, a figuration in the right hand is prominently featured, so frequently that this piece is almost etude-like.

Performed on Composers' Concert in Hatch Recital Hall at the Eastman School of Music on February 21, 2019

I chose to replace the previous recording of this piece from 2017 with this one, due to the improved sound quality (and overall level of performance). Special thanks to the Eastman staff for this recording!

Composers' Concert 2/21/19

Spirals

The Pierrot ensemble naturally lends itself to music involving stark contrast; the combination of instruments from different families allows for the juxtaposition of very different colors. I decided to name this piece "Many Humours" not only to refer to the various alternating moods it goes through, but also the individual sounds that come from the ensemble at any given time. The piece is composed in three movements to be performed without pause. There is constant tension and release in this piece, soft followed by loud, and sometimes gradual transition from one to the other. There are moments of contrapuntal textures which do attempt to blend the ensemble together, but also many instances of more sparse writing for an individual to be heard more prevalently. As a pianist, it was a challenge for me to write for the piano in a different way than I’m used to, and attempt to make it an equal member of a quintet, as well as acting almost like a percussion instrument at times. I also experimented with various extended techniques which were fairly new to me, which hopefully can contribute to a satisfying effect for both the musicians and the audience.

PERFORMERS:
Benton Gordon, flute
Nick Morandi, clarinet
Karin Theobald, violin
Isaiah Wu, cello
Yi-Ning Lo, piano
Maurice Cohn, conductor

Performed on Composers' Concert in Hatch Recital Hall at the Eastman School of Music on May 6, 2019 (watch video performance here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9RnUK_x3No)

Many Humours

I chose the name for this work around the time in February when one starts wishing for warmer days (at least, if one lives in the northern United States). I was also getting over a bad cold, and was reminded how wonderful it can feel to be healthy, both physically and mentally. The light- hearted, energetic music that opens this piece reflects on both these things in a way, expressing excitement and hope for better days ahead. All four instruments are constantly at work throughout, and the ranges and abilities of each are showcased extensively. There are sections featuring rapid imitation, alternating with triumphant passages of homogenous textures. The calmer middle section is reflective, perhaps reminiscent of less happy days in the past; there are swells of dissonance and pain that interrupt the flowing nature of this music. A brief cadenza in the soprano saxophone leads into a tense, invigorating section, before the work’s initial themes make a triumphant return. All four players bring the piece to a rousing conclusion.

Premiered by the Donald Sinta Quartet at Kerrytown Concert House in Ann Arbor, MI on August 2, 2019.
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It Gets Better

Premiered on Eastman's annual Organ & Electronics concert, presented in Christ Church, Rochester, NY on September 20, 2019.

Performed by Bradley Vogel on the Craighead-Saunders organ at Christ Church.

Transcendence

I wrote this piece over the summer for my mother and two other musicians to perform at a summer festival in Dubrovnik, Croatia. When asked to compose a brief piece for two violins and cello, it was requested that something be written with a religious theme, as the performance would take place in a church. I had to take some time to think about writing something that sounded “religious” in an elegant way. Although initially hesitant to simply quote a Christian hymn or chant, I was drawn to the beauty of the chant Adoro te devote by St. Thomas Aquinas. The melody was all I thought about at first, and I ended up making it the cornerstone of this work. But later I also looked at the text itself in detail (which concerns the mystery of the Eucharist according to the Catholic tradition) and I found it eloquently describes faith as being something which cannot be proven—a difficult concept to deal with indeed. In addition to the chant, a few other motifs form the basis for this work, one of which is an imitation of ringing church bells.

PERFORMERS:
Karin Theobald, violin
Justin Zeitlinger, violin
Allen Liang, cello

Performed on Composers' Concert in Kilbourn Hall at Eastman School of Music on October 22, 2019 (watch video performance here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbEszm2kEZA)

Composers' Concert 10/22/19

Reflection on Mysteries

This piece embodies the anxiety I have felt as I witness the crisis of climate change, all the while feeling helplessly incapable of doing something about it. I don’t intend this piece to be depressing; I simply see it as a representation of my inner feelings. The music begins softly and spaciously, but the meditative texture is then interrupted by bursts of energy. At a certain point a dry, rhythmic motif begins in the piano, announcing a gradual build to the climax, all in all expressing frustration. The piece ends with a sense of uncertainty, with the strings dying away on high, sustained pitches. The violin and viola sometimes act as a unit in contrast to the piano, but there is dialogue between all three instruments. Occasional instances of placing the hand on the piano’s strings create a special, mysterious color.

I completed this piece in early 2020 and had planned to perform it with a couple friends at Eastman before the COVID-19 pandemic hit. I’m so grateful to finally have been able to record it with my parents while being at home in Ann Arbor this fall. It was premiered on Eastman's Virtual Mini Composers Concert on November 14, 2020.

PERFORMERS: 
Aaron Berofsky, violin
Kathryn Votapek, viola
Charles Berofsky, piano

Warming Up

Charles Berofsky is a pianist and composer currently studying at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater München. This SoundCloud channel is dedicated to audio recordings of Charles' compositions. For video recordings, please visit the links listed below.

Charles Berofsky

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