Trio for piano, violin, and violoncello was written over a two-year period (1991-93), and marks an attempt to confront musical issues which, at times, conjure up notions of the past. The first compositional issue that needed to be addressed was the ensemble itself- a notoriously difficult combination of instruments for a composer to manipulate. This, in combination with my own familiarity with the Trio repertoire of Beethoven, Schubert, and Brahms, provided for me an overwhelming desire to compose a work designed to convey a richly textured character. This character is exemplified by a formal and gestural language at times closely akin to those masterworks of the 19th Century- here, stretched out, condensed, and filtered through my own late 20th Century sensibilities. Completed in January of 1993 at the MacDowell Colony, Trio is dedicated to composer Arthur Berger on the occasion of his 80th birth year.