Bedford - Three Intermezzi for piano and string quartet

Franck's Piano Quintet in F minor is one of my favourite pieces of chamber music. From first hearing it, I felt a connection with this expressive and structurally fascinating music. I found there was something inherent in the cyclical nature of his piece that could be expanded upon in a way not possible in his time. I wanted to find a new context for those notes written over a century ago. So I have moulded the three discrete movements of Franck's piece into a single continuum by composing three short movements that can either be performed separately or preceding each movement of Franck's Quintet. 

1) Prelude – Piano solo. This movement builds towards its goal – the opening of Franck's Quintet.

2) Quartettsatz – Only for strings, this movement uses quarter-tones to explore a strange, expressive world.

3) Aria – All the instruments are combined for the first time in the Intermezzi. Whilst the piano plays a series of broken chords, the strings play a slow, lyrical melody.

Luke Bedford