De L’Aube a Midi sur la mer. Tres lent
Jeux de Vagues. Allegro
Dialogue du vent et de la Mer. Anime et tumultueux

To arrange La Mer for piano trio was one of the biggest challenges I’ve encountered. The temptation was to represent every note from Debussy’s score, but in order to do that (in any case nigh on impossible) all three musicians would have had to be playing all the time, which could have led to an unchanging, dense texture.  

I decided instead to look at the piano trio itself as a medium – particularly works such as the Ravel – and reinvent Debussy’s orchestral score with the piano trio in mind. I needed to create light and shade, and subtleties of colour. This meant exploring what strings and piano can do in terms of texture, and concentrating on idiomatic and natural techniques. This led to use of harmonics, mutes, bow position – such as sul ponticello (a glassy sound made by playing very near the bridge) – and various doublings between piano and strings, using unisons to create new ‘instruments’ – like mixing blue and yellow to make green.  

Once I’d completed the score, I worked with Matthew, Thomas and Ashley, who often suggested feats of virtuosity I hadn’t thought possible, thereby opening up new possibilities previously discounted.  

It has been an immensely satisfying experience to collaborate on re-creating this iconic score for these inspirational players.  

Sally Beamish, 2014