Diverses Mélodies Nobles, Élevées et Héroïques, pour très grand ensemble

10/6/06 pour flûte (et piccolo), trombone, piano,
violoncello, glockenspiel et vibraphone

(Not the) Composer’s note

(This was commissioned by Symposia and performed by them as part of Glasgow University’s Musica Nova festival on 10/6/2006. At the time I struggled to write a programme note, and I’m still a little reluctant to do so. Essentially a rather sad, personal piece concerning the split personality of the contemporary composer. On the one hand, the need to be seen as a proper modern composer; an original musical language for every piece, new thinking everywhere, if the audience feel bored and confused they should educate themselves. On the other hand, Tunes You Love To Sing; all those bits of music which get left off the list of works, marches, waltzes, jazz riffs, classroom games, theatre pieces…)

Notes

Quite a bit of self-quotation in this piece; opens with a cue I wrote for Thor’s Magic Hammer (Ginnungagap), extensively re-visits and re-composes my own early march for wind band Soutra Aisle, and makes use of material from two of the ‘Openings’, Steadily-Stop! (in a fun C major version!) and ‘Drinking Song’ from the Five Inanities for brass 5tet.

Commissioned by Symposia and first performed by them on 22/6/06 as part of the Musica Nova festival at Glasgow University.

Duration ~20′