Protocol

For piano quintet

Commissioned by: Friends of Chamber Music of Troy, New York.

Premiere: September 7, 2025. Albany, New York. Tesla Quartet and Llewellyn Sánchez-Werner

I wrote "Protocol" inspired by Dimitri Shostakovich’s Piano Quintet and his C Minor String Quartet. My fascination with Shostakovich started with his music and later with his life. I titled the piece “Protocol” reflecting on Shostakovich’s struggles with the strict codes of conduct of the Soviet Union. At the same time, I wrote the piece considering my own struggles with “proper behaviour” (albeit to a lesser degree) during my time as a diplomat in China. The piece emerges almost as a study of Shostakovich, but also as a tribute to freedom, realisation, and self-liberation through music.

To listen to this piece, please send a request to www.paax.maryan@gmail.com">www.paax.maryan@gmail.com