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Orchestra
2023
Alto
Alto Flute
Alto Saxophone
Bass
Bass Clarinet
Bass Trombone
Bassoon
Celesta
Cello
Clarinet
Contrabassoon
Double Bass
English Horn
Flute
Harp
Horn
Oboe
Piano
Piccolo
Soprano
Tenor
Tenor Saxophone
Trombone
Trumpet
Tuba
Viola
Violin
- Program Notes
- Taking inspiration from works including – among others – Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloé, Steve Reich’s Music for 18 Musicians, and Eric Whitacre’s choral works, this is a programmatic suite for large-scale orchestra and choir. The piece is a commentary on the overwhelming nature of modern society, marking a journey from light and hope to deep emotional darkness. The piece opens with a dazzling sunrise: the persona dreams of a dazzling sunrise, with nature awakening; birds flying in beautiful synchrony to create awe-inspiring patterns in the air. The following section marks the start of the persona’s emotional descent. Still dreaming, they passively observe the busyness of a bustling city, admiring the symbiosis and complexity of all that is going on, yet struggling with an unsettlingly foggy feeling of depersonalisation. Next, we hear a musical depiction of the persona’s heavy realisation of their overwhelmed mental state. The use of voices here reflects the intimacy and personal nature of this moment; the persona is gradually beckoned into a state of overwhelming panic and anxiety, a numbing realisation of their loneliness and isolation – a panic attack. Here, I have set words written by my friend, Genevieve. Finally, the persona falls back into sleep. This time, the dream is a corruption of the beauty of nature, reflecting human nature’s greed and the damage we have caused to the perfection of nature, through materialism and consumerism. Musical themes used here are a corruption of the opening musical sunrise.