A Serious Man (for Piano Trio) — PDF score and parts

There’s playfulness – and nostalgia, too – to be had in Judd Greenstein’s A Serious Man. Written in 2013 as a tribute to the composer’s uncle, it’s one of the album’s most clearly diatonic efforts. Reflective, but never saccharine or overdone, A Serious Man is a touching piece – the arpeggios near the end provide a comforting sense of closure – and one that knows just how long it needs to convey a message: not a note is wasted. (ArtsFuse)

What is the connection between music and magical thinking? Judd Greenstein’s music has a way of grabbing the attention right from the opening note and keeping the listener alert and engaged. A Serious Man was commissioned by the Claremont Trio and premiered in 2013. Inspired by thoughts about his uncle and family, Greenstein’s piece is thrilling. It opened softly with ethereal shimmering in Julia Bruskin’s cello and disjunct chiming in the piano. When the violin joined in, it bridged the two by introducing phrased structures, communicated to the cello. The effect was ravishing, forcing the listener to recognize that he was now in a sacred space, away from the ordinary and the profane, a space where disbelief was suspended and unexpected things such as conversations between the living and the dead became possible. The instruments tested their extremes, and together produced a sort of Darwinian entangled bank of feelings, emotions and impression, culminating in a cresting wave of memory that folded back to a return of the ethereal opening. A second, more cathartic crest yielded to an exciting interplay among the instruments. The playing was superb, with each instrument clear and distinct while creating coherence at every new step, conveying the insight that fusion is neither desirable nor possible. (The Boston Musical Intelligencer)