Originally written over 4 days in 2014 then revised in 2016 by enhancing the orchestration and lengthened the ending which I felt was a little abrupt in the earlier version. This time the ending is very rich with inter-playing material constantly blossoming out of different parts of the orchestra.
It is a very tuneful piece, the basic structure being:
- Introduction - the bubbling harp starts and tension builds with the main arpeggio rising and falling motif being suggested with some interruptions.
- The first main tune bursts out in full then dies away into…
- Solo cello and solo violin play a more plaintive and gently rhythmic melody against the harp and some subtle strings.
- A tune in E minor is heard in oboe with bassoon against light strings and an emerging counter melody in cellos and violas, rising to a brief climax.
- The melody is developed further by the soloists against tremolo strings and a low string off-beat pattern. The melody takes a slightly darker turn then fades away with the violin solo on high harmonics against trumpets sounding as if in the distance.
- Build up and huge crescendo followed by sudden break and a large soft slowly pulled apart chord of G major 7th to G dominant
- Out of this emerges the soloists' strange rhythmic tune from earlier, but with subtle chromatic changes to make it more mysterious.
- The bubbling harp figure from the start of the piece returns against which grows a very tuneful melody on oboe set against bassoon.
- This melody grows into a full orchestral version, taken over first by the horns, then passed around the orchestra against melodies from earlier in the piece, particularly the arpeggio figure and variants of it. This gives a very lush sound with much interplay and redirection of focus around the orchestra with shifting textures. The tune is taken up again for one last build up before gently dying away.