Maverick was written for duo46, the astonishing guitar duo of guitarist Matt Gould and Beth Ilana Schneider- Gould. I hadn’t written for guitar before, and only played it well enough to accompany folk songs. It was necessary for me while writing to play the chords myself, to insure that they were playable without stretching Matt’s left hand to the breaking point. But I wrote single-note passages freely, figuring that Matt would be able to play almost anything I wrote (he is sorry that I thought that way).
I had composed quite a bit of music using violin, and although I didn’t have a hands-on knowledge of the more arcane corners of wildly virtuoso violin writing, I knew enough from experience and studying scores to compose a violin part that would feature Beth’s virtuosity, as well as her warmth and sensitivity.
The first movement, Kaleidoscope, features the energetic interplay of the duo, sometimes as a team, sometimes independently. At first, lyrical qualities are featured, then more rhythmic sections follow in an ebb and flow.
Quietude, the second movement, is based on melodic fragments derived from guitar harmonics. The overall mood is remarkably serene and peaceful, although partway through, it briefly turns threatening.
Stepping Out begins with the dramatic ending of the first movement played backwards, so it becomes a beginning, but shortly the movement settles into its main idea, a strutting march. Later in the movement, the mood turns more tranquil, and cadenzas for each of the players are featured. The movement ends in a final burst of energy.