|
Length / Year
13' / 1997
Instrumentation
piano - four hands
Reviews
"The high point of the programme was the world premiere of Light
Music. The music proved immediately appealing with its contrasting speeds
and wide spectrum of expresssion, ranging from the vigour of the simultaneous
rhythms to beautiful romantic melody and even the hint of a chorale. .
. . It was given an assured and indeed joyful first performance and will
certainly become a popular and much played work in the piano duet repertoire
if the enthusiatic reception it received is anything to go by "
John Hywel - Welsh Music Magazine
(Return to top)
Performance History
First performance
Powis Hall, Bangor
13th November 1997
Helen and Harvey Davies - piano duet
Television
Two sections of the work recorded for S4C documentary
January 1988
Helen and Harvey Davies
London
Premiere
British Music Information Centre
21st May 1998
Helen and Harvey Davies - piano duet
Lampeter
Music Club
27th January 1999
Helen and Harvey Davies
Beaumaris
Festival
6th June 1999
Helen and Harvey Davies
Italian
Premiere
Musica Experimenta Roma
French
Premiere
Centre Culturel Gerard Philipe, Calais
15th December 2000
Francoise Choveaux and Anne Jomin - two pianos
Irish
Premiere
Waterford Institute of Technology
1st February 2001
Helen and Harvey Davies - piano duet
(Return to top)
Programme Note
Light Music was commissioned by Helen and Harvey Davies with funds made
available by the Arts Council of Wales and by the University College of
North Wales, Bangor. The first performance was at the Powis Hall, Bangor
on November 13th 1997.
Though the work is predominantly bright and rhythmic,
the title is ironic. There is a serious of purpose here and the 'lightness'
is only superficial - a 'lightness of being'. Musically the piece is a
set of variations, five in all and 'classical' in the sense that each
one simply decorates a basic chord structure which is unchanged throughout.
The conception was very swift. I felt I knew in a day or two what I wanted
to do and how the piece should work out. Then it was a question of writing
the notes down. That process happened in May and June 1997, the idea for
the piece having taken shape the previous November. It is played without
a break and there are many musical devices incorporated - for example
canons and palindromes. A lot of my music ends quietly so I set myself
the challenge of writing a loud ending.
(Return to top)
|
