Bitter Suite

This work for violin and piano is a play on the words "suite" and "bittersweet." Each of the four movements is based on a Yiddish folk song, translated as On the Road; My Resting Place; Black Cat and Dona, Dona, but reenvisions them in a modern context akin to Bartók and Kodály. The composer noted, "I found it a very challenging yet touching way to remain in contact with some part of my own past that I don’t usually reveal." The title references the difficult (bitter) and pleasant (sweet) aspects of experiencing the tumultuous history of a people through their folk music.