Audio Sample
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Performance by Sydney Symphony, Stuart Challender from the CD Complete symphonies, 1-6 |
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Work Overview
This work is written in a single movement made up of five
contrasting sections, beginning with a passage of great rhythmic
momentum. Restless ostinati in the lower strings and woodwinds
seem to try to break free from the spell of the 'D' which is the
central tonal focus of the work. A characteristic theme soon
appears high above this texture - in long notes, it is simple and
diatonic, luminously scored for high strings doubled by piccolo.
The pitches used here are crucial to the work's development,
particularly the G and B flat which we hear often. Other
instruments take up these floating phrases, travelling in pairs :
flute doubles muted trumpet, piccolo subtly brightens the solo
horn, while tension builds with the progressive addition of
overlapping ostinati throughout the orchestra.
This tension is released with the arrival of a new 'paragraph',
characteristic of Vine's style : a 12/8 ostinato for harp (now
centring on C sharp) stabilises the continuing scurrying motives
from the opening, while the oboe announces a new, simple,
stepwise melody. Again the section explores the potential
tension, albeit genially, between groupings of two and three, and
comes to a moment of repose in E major before the violent
outburst of the second section. At this point we hear one of the
rare appearances of automobile brake drums and suspension springs
in symphonic music. The arresting chords give way to a passage
built on rising scalar figures which eventually leads to another
passage where a harp ostinato (this time supporting themes
related to those heard above the opening texture) inaugurates
another gathering of texture before a return to the chords which
open the section.
The third section contains a greater diversity of material, with
numerous short motives flying about in a transparent orchestral
texture. The fourth section corresponds to a traditional slow
movement, where various instruments are given extensive lyrical
solos (beginning, for instance, with the cello). A short bridge
passage, where the cor anglais recalls the opening melody, leads
into an extraordinarily lush flowering of the texture : here is
the crystal of the work, and in a sense its climax because it is
here that the work recapitulates much of its earlier material,
but in a concentrated form which focuses our perception of the
relationships between seemingly disparate rhythmic passages.
Having made these connections, the piece ends in a short fast
coda, based on entirely new material.
© Gordon Kerry 1991
Work Details
Year: 1988
Instrumentation: Piccolo flute, 2 concert flutes, 2 oboes, cor anglais, 2 clarinets in B flat, bass clarinet in B flat, 2 bassoons, contrabassoon, 4 French horns, 3 trumpets in C, 2 trombones, bass trombone, tuba, percussion (4 players), harp, celeste, strings.
Duration: 20 min.
Difficulty: Advanced
Commission note: Commissioned by ABC.. With assistance from the Australian Bicentennial Association.
First performance: by Hiroyuki Iwaki — 23 Apr 88. Melbourne Concert Hall
Subjects
- In the form/style of: Symphonies
Performances of this work
23 Apr 88: Melbourne Concert Hall. Featuring Hiroyuki Iwaki.
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