In Iowa City, Iowa, on today’s date in the year 2000, the Ahn Trio gave the premiere performance of a new work for violin, cello, and piano they had commissioned from the American composer Paul Schoenfield*.

Schoenfield is known for combining popular, folk, and classical music forms, and is himself an excellent pianist. An earlier piano trio by Schoenfield entitled “Café Music” was commissioned by the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra and was inspired by the composer’s experience filling in for a night or two as house pianist at Murray's steakhouse in Minneapolis, Minnesota. “Café Music” received its premiere during an SPCO chamber concert in January, 1987, with Schoenfield at the piano.

His new piano trio for the Ahn Trio was entitled “Four Music Videos,” and was the result a short meeting, described as follows by Schoenfield:

“[Me]: What kind of piece would you like?

“[Them]: Possibly a rock piece—(tentatively) we were thinking of something for MTV.

“[Me]: (Having no knowledge of pop culture, and not having a television) MTV, what is that?”

Well, Schoenfield did a little investigating, and after a subsequent email from the Ahn Trio asking if he had seen the film “The Buena Vista Social Club” and would be willing to include some Latin American music in the new trio, he came up with a four movement work, with the following descriptive titles: “Rock Song,” “Bossa Nova,” “Film Score,” and “Samba.”

*pronounced “SHONE-felled” by the composer.