Composed during my final year of high school, the Pathétique Trio was my way of grappling with the onset of intense anxiety—something I hadn’t experienced before in such a consuming way. The piece unfolds over five movements: Prelude, Waltz, Scherzo, Aria, and

Elegy, each tracing an arc through episodes of panic, resignation, anger, obsession, and ultimately numbness.

The prelude depicts a panic attack, built around a twelve-tone row. The waltz follows with a dazed and hollow sense of resignation. The scherzo lashes out in frustration and rage, before giving way to the aria, a moment of apparent calm that spirals into fixation and sadness.

Finally, the elegy offers no resolution—just stillness. The performers are asked to hold their final notes for approximately twelve bars, allowing the emptiness to linger.