About the creation

It has been a Russian musical tradition to compose a piano trio in memory of a great artist, a mentor, or a deceased dear friend. Thus, Tchaikovsky's piano trio Op. 50 A minor (titled "In memory of a Great Artist") was dedicated to the deceased pianist Nikolai Rubinstein, Arensky's piano trio no. 1 in D minor was written in memory of the legendary Russian cellist, Karl Davidoff, and Shostakovitch's monumental trio Op. 67, was composed in memory of his closest friend Ivan Sollertinsky, who had died suddenly at the age of 41.  My piano trio is dedicated to the memory of my mentor and dear friend Joseph Dorfman who passed suddenly in June of 2006 during a piano recital he performed in Los Angeles. Joseph Dorfman was born in 1940 in Odessa, the birthplace and important center of the Zionist movement and the revival of modern Jewish culture. For that reason I chose to title this work The Odessa Trio. The main motive that ties the musical material together is the musicalization of Dorfman's name, namely the conversion of his name into musical notation: Do-Re-Fa-Mi-La.  The first movement is based on a liturgical passage “Elohenu V’Elohey Avotenu” (Our G-d and G-d of our Fathers) which brings forth a rhapsodic, recitative-like prayer motives. The second movement presents the Do-Re-Fa-Mi-La cryptogram for the first time with vigor and decisiveness. The movement continues however with a dark, romantic, and somewhat "Chopinesque" mood. The third, movement “Intermezzo,” is a Tango, which again uses the “Dorfman” motive as its leading idea. This movement is lighter and humoristic in contrast to the other parts of the Trio. The last movement returns to the Jewish modes and liturgy. It is moving from slow recitatives and prayer-like passages through a dramatic and rhythmic development, to a loud burst of Shofar-calls as a climax. The Odessa Trio ends with a slow, quiet, and serene memorial prayer. Ofer Ben-Amots