Gryphon Realms explores the colouristic, virtuosic, and expressive possibilities of the piano trio while highlighting Ho's more personal musical language. Much of the work is based on musical materials from Ho's solo piano work Eccentric Gestures. It is in three movements and takes the listener through the mystical world of gryphons. Each movement is loosely based on the personalities of each player of the Gryphon Trio, one could say that each movement is a character piece of three mystical gryphons inspired by each of these players.
Vincent Ho is a Canadian who is widely recognised as one of the most exciting composers of his generation. He has made waves in the music world of North America despite being fairly early in his compositional career, receiving numerous prizes, accolades, and prominent commissions in a relatively short space of time. Ho’s music is rich and energetic - a unique integration of influences ranging from the visual arts, electroacoustic and natural soundscapes, traditional classical music forms, and the physical properties of the instruments and ensembles for which he writes. His music is sensual, sonorous and richly textured, and Ho gives considerable attention to the audience’s experience of his intricate sound-worlds.
