Time is a spiral
Duration: c. 5'
For orchestra (2200 2000, strings)
The idea for Time is a Spiral comes from my grandmother's theory of time, which is that it moves not in a straight line but in a spiral, and that we spend our lives brushing the edges of time past and future. In some ways, Mozart seems to have become a constant in the spiral of time, around which musical styles and tastes settle and shift, and against which many young composers battle. I wondered what might happen if you were to unlock some of Mozart's music and unravel it - not just the musical material but the forms, ideas and personality imbedded in it - drawing it out into the spiral. I took as my starting point the last movement of his fifth violin concerto and attempted to do just that, beginning with a wisp of the original minuet, seemingly frozen in time, and from which still centre the piece unwinds. The pace increases and we jump from one idea to another in an increasingly erratic rondo, emerging towards the end in a lurching minuet, more Holstead than Mozart. Time is a Spiral was commissioned by BBC Radio 3 and premiered by the Ulster Orchestra with conductor Adrian Leaper in August 2007. It is dedicated to Olive Browne.
Listen to this piece on Rachel's Radio
Duration: c. 5'
For orchestra (2200 2000, strings)
The idea for Time is a Spiral comes from my grandmother's theory of time, which is that it moves not in a straight line but in a spiral, and that we spend our lives brushing the edges of time past and future. In some ways, Mozart seems to have become a constant in the spiral of time, around which musical styles and tastes settle and shift, and against which many young composers battle. I wondered what might happen if you were to unlock some of Mozart's music and unravel it - not just the musical material but the forms, ideas and personality imbedded in it - drawing it out into the spiral. I took as my starting point the last movement of his fifth violin concerto and attempted to do just that, beginning with a wisp of the original minuet, seemingly frozen in time, and from which still centre the piece unwinds. The pace increases and we jump from one idea to another in an increasingly erratic rondo, emerging towards the end in a lurching minuet, more Holstead than Mozart. Time is a Spiral was commissioned by BBC Radio 3 and premiered by the Ulster Orchestra with conductor Adrian Leaper in August 2007. It is dedicated to Olive Browne.
Listen to this piece on Rachel's Radio
