Movements (2026) for two violins, cello, and harpsichord was commissioned by the Sebastians (Jeffrey Grossman, artistic director).

The straightforward, baroque-ish title means that the overall work is comprised of a number of short pieces. It also means that each individual piece is animated by movement, both in terms of its rhythm and the distribution of its material.

In the 20^th and 21^st centuries, it is almost always the case that themes are unified in a cyclic way and shared across “movements” of a work. However, in the case of this piece, a version of the baroque model largely holds sway. Each movement is thus intended as a piece entirely complete within itself, no matter how short. The effect from the overall work is perhaps akin to a set of short poems. However, the final movement is a reprise of the opening movement. One cannot escape one’s own era entirely (!), and so this cyclic nod ends the work.