Ominous Machine

Work Overview

Instrumentation: Piano Trio
Premiere: November 7, 2023 at the San Francisco Conservatory
Duration: 5 minutes

Program Note

Ominous Machine for Piano Trio is a short work, 5 minutes long, written in 2020-21 for the L’Arc Trio, alums of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. The essential material of the opening measures features several short and quick figures in each of the instruments that interlock to form a whole. The opening measures set the tone and groove of a highly rhythmic and visceral piece, full of “glitches” and repetitions that make the work unpredictable—but also playful—as it moves in many different directions.

“Ominous Machine is a piece commissioned by L’arc Trio that has been patiently waiting for its premiere since 2021! After years of delay due to the pandemic, this piece finally receives its much anticipated world premiere at SFCM, the home where L’arc Trio was formed. We knew we wanted to commission a piece by a female composer based in the Bay Area— Vivian Fung instantly came to mind and it is a dream come true to have her very first piano trio written for us. The piece is a fast-moving engine and puzzle that constantly reworks and rewires itself right before your eyes, ultimately highlighting and challenging each musician’s capacity for virtuosity, agility, and teamwork. We are eternally grateful to InterMusic SF that made this commission possible and to Vivian, whose piece we will cherish forever.”

- L’arc Trio