Fragment is an adaption of a piano duet originally composed to commemorate the retirement occasion of the composer's first piano teacher, Peter Williams. At the time of its composition, Psathas was engaged in writing his double concerto for percussion, piano and orchestra, View From Olympus, and in mood and musical material, Fragment is related to the second movement of that work.
This version, for marimba and vibraphone, was arranged by percussionist Jeremy Fitzsimons first performed the work with Kristie Ibrahim, together as Double Lateral, in the Ilott Theatre, Wellington Town Hall, Wellington, New Zealand on 2 October 2005.
John Psathas is a New Zealand freelance composer and teacher who, at a relatively early stage in his career, has established an international profile and receives regular commissions from organisations both in New Zealand and overseas. His works are championed around the world by a growing number of leading international artists, one of the most consistent of whom has been the Scottish percussionist Evelyn Glennie. Initially making a name for himself as a composer of high-energy percussion music, more recently the composer has concentrated on a series of larger-scale concertante works. A major career highlight to date has been the commission to compose the ceremonial music for the opening and closing of the 2004 Athens Olympic Games. In 2005 John Psathas was created an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for his services to music.
