Ashfall

Martin Hebel

Ashfall

For

Instrumentation

Violin

Violoncello

Piano

Program Notes

Ashfall is an abstract reflection on the devastating impact of nuclear war and resulting loss of life, imagining ash and snow falling as nuclear winter envelopes the charred cityscapes of a desolate Earth. Yet Ashfall brightens at its end to inspire hope for a world without nuclear weapons.

Composed in four movements, Ashfall begins with the solitary piano before introducing the violin and cello. After the first movement’s climax, dark, heavy melodic lines, punctuated by strident interjections, usher in the next movement without pause. Dissonant chromaticism contrasts with flashes of minor tonality as driving melodies and angular figures propel the second movement unrelentingly to its end. Beginning with a virtuosic violin cadenza, the third movement contrasts colorful piano flourishes with long, dark string gestures. The fourth movement starts with an intense cello cadenza followed by a delicate elegy, echoing moments from previous movements before brightening at its conclusion.

2024 Semi-Finalist for the Alexander Zemlinsky Prize for Composition

2022 Honorable Mention for The American Prize in Instrumental Chamber Music Composition

2022 National Semi-Finalist for The American Prize Ernst Bacon Memorial Award

Duration: 23 minutes www.martinhebel.com

Piano Trio

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