Jean-Claude Schlaepfer
Esquisses en trois tableaux

About Esquisses en trois tableaux

The Work

Each of these three movements represents a descriptive outline of a different musical character. In the Misterioso e espressivo, the piano and violin alternate extreme dynamics (pp to subito ff), in calm and violent passages, before vanishing in a peaceful silence.

The second movement (Scherzando + Vivace), sees the two instruments competing through the use of audacious rhythms, punctuated by accents, which serve to either separate one from the other or to bring them together.

Espressivo e lento, the last movement, draws from the multifarious varieties of musical expression (espressivo senza vibrato, mf con vibrato, etc.) with an unaffected simplicity resulting in a powerful single dimensional entity as a molto lento e pianissimo finale, where the violin leads to three ascending tenuto notes in the high register that are punctuated by a few transparent and dissonant chords, performed senza misura e morendo.