Virtuosities (2012)
for string orchestra
1. To dream, perchance to fly
2. Souvenir
3. Mechanica
Commissioned by the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra.
Duration: 12 min.
In honour of the 40th anniversary season of the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra, I was inspired to write a work that celebrates music history and tradition while also embracing the new and innovative – something that the MCO has so successfully accomplished throughout its forty years. Virtuosities seeks to draw connections between the music of the past and present, either through points of intersection or through sharply contrasting juxtaposition.
In the first movement, “To dream, perchance to fly”, a lightning-fast tempo and continuous swirls of rising figures are meant to create a breathless, whirlwind energy, referencing elements of Baroque virtuosity within a contemporary context. The intimate and lyrical second movement, “Souvenir”, features the beauty of a simple melody-and-background texture, enriched with an expanded sound palette of distinct colours and timbres. In the final movement, “Mechanica”, an energetic walking bass serves a constant driving pulse over which a hodgepodge of various short quotes and other musical references are spliced, layered and woven together.