NortonTrio For Clarinet/bassoon/piano

The Trio for Clarinet, Bassoon and Piano was written in 2012 at the request of Geoff Colmer, bassoon player for the Horizon Ensemble (Katie Cannel - clarinet, Geoff Colmer - bassoon and Mary Cotes - piano). The 1st movement, A Day Out, sounds like an "outdoor" piece and is easy-going and tuneful, with a number of themes vying for attention, particularly the opening theme and the lyrical second. These musical elements are stirred about in various ways, including a striking syncopated figure. A development section leads via scalic figures to canonic figures and a varied restatement, which includes a heroic version of the second main theme.

An Interlude is a soulful piece, with a declamatory piano introduction leading to a big tune on bassoon, in the tenor register, with the clarinet then taking up the melody. A second section keeps the contemplative mood going and includes a passage for clarinet and bassoon alone. A restatement follows, in a loose cano