1. Andante sostenuto
2. Allegro robusto
3. Adagio notturno

"Trio for clarinet, viola and piano" was my first atonal composition. Its style evidently is still influenced by composers from the beginning of the 20th century. The last part (Adagio Notturno) clearly refers to Béla Bartók’s "night music". The second part (Allegro Robusto) reminds us of the early 20th century composers by applying irregular bars and time signatures. Having completed this work I finally was able to write my own ideas on paper in an unlimited way; I even looked for a possible own structure or legitimisation. In this composition one can find the first occurrence of my preference for symmetrical chords and a free improvisational rhythm (such as fully written quintolas) at the surface. This will play an important role for my next compositions. In that sense I consider this “Trio” as an important work for my compositional evolution. Although the piece may be considered as "free atonal", the composition is based on recognizable themes occurring in several movements, yet now and then in a polytonal context.
 

	Fragment from Trio - Allegro Robusto
	Fragment from Trio - Adagio Notturno
	Performers NotaBene Ensemble (26/10/2002) Marc Tooten, vioal Geert Baeckelandt, clarinet Paul Hermsen, piano
Duration	approx. 16 min
Publisher	CeBeDeM, Brussels: score, parts www.cebedem.be
Instrumentation	clarinet (in B flat), viola, piano
Premiere	NotaBene Ensemble (26/10/2002) Marc Tooten, viola Geert Baeckelandt, clarinet Paul Hermsen, piano
SABAM	678551400
Note	Award BAP (Belgian Artistic Promotion) SABAM 2002
Documents	Trio for clarinet, viola and piano – Harmonic analysis (by Bram Van Camp) (Dutch)