My piece is as indicated in the title a two fold composition in the form of two contrasting tone poems each mirroring a fragment of original text what one could call spiritual appetizers. In a way it's the UR concept of the nature of the trumpet an instrument capable of glorious panache as well as sublime inward looking finesse. REVEILLE RETRAITE for solo trumpetA joint commission between Håkan Hardenberger and Danmarks RadioDedicated to Håkan HardenbergerProgramme note:Everybody knows or has at least heard of the time honoured military bugle calls: Reveille Retraite the awakening at sunrise the turning in at sunset. The baroque style recitative passages represent the school 'establishment' and are contrasted ludicrously with savage harmonic 'stabs' and terrifyingly anxious 'chase scenes' around the class room this poem is not for the squeamish! The teacher (and later even the headmaster) set upon a notoriously rowdy class with various lethal weapons systematically murdering all the pupils! He picked on a boy who was shouting and throttled him then and there then garrotted the girl behind him (the one with grotty hair). A Lesson You'll Never Forget!Roger McGough's black poem 'The Lesson' was the catalyst for this piece. He sleeps ona sack on the kitchen floor and they say there aren't boys like him anymore.Although the music is laden with pathos there is insuppressible energy too portraying that lovable 'Blitz of a Boy'! 3. A Blitz of a BoyWith an affectionate nod to Charles Causley's sad tale about 'Timothy Winters' who 'hasn't heard of the welfare state'. Originally inspired by Eleanor Farjeon's famous poem 'Nine O'clock Bell' where pupils hustle and bustle to school in the morning: Some of them scurrying others not worrying Carelessly trudging or anxiously hurrying.2. School BellThe music urgently moves forward within an anxiously breathless waltz lest we be late for school. There is an underlying theme of 'School'.1. ![]() Songs Without Words is a set of three short pieces each inspired by a classic twentieth century poem.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |