dag wiren serenade for strings program notes

DAG WIREN SERENADE FOR STRINGS PROGRAM NOTES FULL

Intuition, a captivating album of short pieces for solo cello with piano or orchestra, has been conceived by Gautier Capuçon to John Brunning plays a track from his featured Drive Discovery at 6.15pm every weekday.

I composed these songs for soprano Grace Davidson, who performs all three vocal lines on this recording. I was immediately attracted by the mystical quality of her writing. Whilst searching for a text to set to music I discovered 'Chillingham', three poems by Mary Elizabeth Coleridge. Following Lost Lake is Sonar, where rippling piano lines and long legato phrases conjure up images of an underwater world. Despite its demands upon the soloist, it remains the most performed work of my repertoire. The fiendish virtuosic middle section is sandwiched between the outer more serene legato passages. In fact it was the first piece I wrote for violin and strings. 'Lost Lake' was written for Jonathan Hill in 2011.

DAG WIREN SERENADE FOR STRINGS PROGRAM NOTES FULL

It is followed by the fast, almost rustic feel of the second section where I often score the violin and viola in octave unison which allows their theme to be heard even when the full string section are playing at forte. In the opening section I wanted a graceful feel that allowed the soloists to each have their own space to perform. 'Liberty' is written for violin, viola, piano and strings and is in two distinct parts. For this recording the Royal Academy of Music kindly loaned Katherine a Rogeri cello.

The last movement has a driving intensity, with repeated triplet passages providing momentum. I wrote the solo cello part to ‘float’ over this sequence. The second movement is written around a 12-note sequence which varies only slightly throughout the movement. For the first movement she suggested I make use of the powerful, brilliant high register that the cello has. Following this I wanted to write more for the cello so commenced work on 'Morpheus', a cello concerto for Katherine. I first worked with cellist Katherine Jenkinson in 2016 when she asked if I would write a piece for cello and piano for a forthcoming concert. On my return to the UK I had fun writing this pizzicato piece for strings. My co-producer suggested I write a piece called Bacchus and fill it with merriment and mischief. In the apartment where I stayed was a bust of 'Bacchus', the God of Wine. In August 2017 I travelled to Malta to watch three brilliant ballets choreographed by Royal Ballet First Artist Erico Montes. Kerenza recorded this work on a Peter Guarneri violin kindly loaned by Ingles & Hayday. The third movement provides a welcome sense of calm after the energy of the first two movements and the final movement often exploits Kerenza’s ability to play in a folky, virtuosic style. The name of the work comes from the image evoked by the solo violin and piano lines in the second movement. The opening movement is scored so that the solo violin is often part of the string section, but then emerges in certain sections to reveal itself as a solo instrument. 'Spiral' is written for solo violin, piano and strings. It occurred to me that since I was enjoying the freedom to write whatever I wished ‘Liberty’ was an appropriate choice. While I was writing this album the co-producer, Emma Heathcote, suggested ‘Liberty’ as a title.

Dag wiren serenade for strings program notes