and all the phonies go mad with joy (2009) by Pablo Ortiz
for violin, viola, and cello
US premiere

Many years ago, I wrote a piece for viola and marimba. Then I thought that the viola part, quite demanding, could potentially be placed in a different context and still work. I then visualized a string trio written around this viola part, and that became the piece that you will hear tonight. I have always liked J.D.Salinger, and when my daughters were growing up, his short stories and The Catcher in the Rye became a shared secret catalogue of quotes and allusions. Instead of saying, for instance, "it’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood" we would say "it’s a perfect day for the banana fish". And all the phonies go mad with joy is fake Salinger, the kind that, now beyond those days of happy parenting, fills me with nostalgia. It is also a string trio with a particularly demanding viola part.