Trio for Brass was written during the summer of 1996 while Michael Cifarelli was at Boston University. The first movement is a fast-paced chromatic movement with a scherzo-like theme. The second movement is a playful waltz partially inspired by the music of Charles Ives. The third movement is based mainly on the pentatonic scale, except for the introduction, which is an ostinato built around the perfect fifth and neighboring intervals – variations of this ostinato also appear in other movements, unifying the piece. In contrast to the mysterious mood of the third movement, the fourth is lighthearted and jaunty – based on the octatonic scale.
Michael Cifarelli was born in Long Island and grew up there in a town called Babylon. He started his musical training on the trombone and eventually went on to explore other musical avenues such as composition. Michael received his Bachelor of Music Degree from Boston University with a major in trombone performance. It was at Boston University that Michael discovered his skill for composition – while studying jazz arranging with the great tubist, Sam Pilafian. Michael has his Master of Music Degree in Music from the State University of New York at Stony Brook and continues to play trombone, arrange and compose.
