Cycles
for large ensemble
Strange orbit
Cumulation canons
Zooming in
Mr. Flutterby Dances
Commissioned by UPROAR as part of their inaugural 10x10 commissioning project for composers in Wales. The premiere performance, conducted by Michael Rafferty, took place at Chapter Arts, Cardiff, and the concert was broadcast BBC Radio 3’s ‘Hear and Now’.
About:
Despite it’s short duration (around 6 minutes), I think of the piece as a kind of symphony in miniature, with four short movements each exploring the same musical ideas from a different perspective.
The whole piece is based on one melody (presented at the beginning); the rest of the work explores the same motives and patterns, zooming in and out of the material to reveal it in new ways.
In the final movement ‘Mr. Flutteryby Dances’ several parts play independently from the rest of the ensemble in order to create a multilayered flurry of activity at several speeds. A similar idea is explored in my recent works Chorale - Conflict - Fanfare (composed for a residency with the Britten Pears ‘Brass Elements’ Course in 2018) and Songs for Swansea.
Listen:
Image: Andrew Rafferty
