Program Note

I grew up surrounded by bluegrass music—my grandfather and my uncles are all accomplished bluegrass musicians, and their music has always been in my ears. This piece, which is a short, virtuosic romp for solo “violin-as-fiddle”, comes out of that music, though mixed with the other music that has always been in my ears—that of Igor Stravinsky. The title of the piece highlights the two musical worlds which collide in the work—the breakdown is a very fast, purely instrumental bluegrass form, which serves an analogue to the tradition of playing a short, very fast piece at the end of a concert—the encore.