Score and parts here.

Programme note:

O my luve’s like the red, red rose,
That’s newly sprung in June,
O my luve’s like the melodie,
That’s sweetly played in tune.

Robert Burns (1759-1796)

The sounds of violin and piano could note be more different and yet they form one of the most familiar units in music. This idea of distance combined with familiarity is the central principle of Red, red: for the most part violin and piano pursue independent courses, but each moment still combines in a coherent way. The processes of the two instruments create a large ‘X’ shape. The piano starts with a great deal of energy, sing many pitches across the whole range and gradually decays to four slow, quiet pitches. Conversely, the violin begins with long notes on these pitches and gradually speeds up and expands until it reaches the energy level that the piano began at. The only real point of interaction between violin and piano occurs at the crossover point in the middle, where they share staccato polyrhythms.