Holloway, Robin: Domination of Black op. 23 - Diptych op. 23a (1973-74) 16'
Summer Rain and Night Hunt from `Domination of Black'
World Premiere
12/2/1983
Munich
Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra / Elgar Howarth
Composer's Notes
Domination of Black, a symphonic poem for large orchestra, was written in 1973-74 and first performed at a Promenade Concert in London, August 1974. Its five movements and two intermezzi make a continuous whole rather like a Schumann piano-cycle on an enormous scale; indeed there is a specific Schumann source discernible far behind this music (some of his Kerner-songs op.35) which in a more general way is a hommage to Austro-German romanticism as seen from the outer space of the later twentieth century.
Two of its movements are detachable and can be played both by themselves and one after the other to make the Diptych. The first, Summer Rain (andante con moto), is a stream of endlessly uncurling melody/harmony in which the formal divisions are merged beneath the continuous gentle demisemiquaver motion. Night Hunt (centrepiece of the complete tone-poem) is a more clear-cut in shape – essentially a gigantic scherzo with two returns of an exuberant trio (and a third as their echo, a Stimme aus der Ferne) and a final slowing-down broadening out into an apotheosis.
Robin Holloway
Reproduction Rights
This programme note can be reproduced free of charge in concert programmes with a credit to the composer
Summer Rain and Night Hunt from `Domination of Black'
World Premiere
12/2/1983
Munich
Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra / Elgar Howarth
Composer's Notes
Domination of Black, a symphonic poem for large orchestra, was written in 1973-74 and first performed at a Promenade Concert in London, August 1974. Its five movements and two intermezzi make a continuous whole rather like a Schumann piano-cycle on an enormous scale; indeed there is a specific Schumann source discernible far behind this music (some of his Kerner-songs op.35) which in a more general way is a hommage to Austro-German romanticism as seen from the outer space of the later twentieth century.
Two of its movements are detachable and can be played both by themselves and one after the other to make the Diptych. The first, Summer Rain (andante con moto), is a stream of endlessly uncurling melody/harmony in which the formal divisions are merged beneath the continuous gentle demisemiquaver motion. Night Hunt (centrepiece of the complete tone-poem) is a more clear-cut in shape – essentially a gigantic scherzo with two returns of an exuberant trio (and a third as their echo, a Stimme aus der Ferne) and a final slowing-down broadening out into an apotheosis.
Robin Holloway
Reproduction Rights
This programme note can be reproduced free of charge in concert programmes with a credit to the composer
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