Ariel

I was drawn to the dark, explosive energy of Sylvia Plath’s poem Ariel and used the text as a framework to build an emotional and textural chronology onto which to pin the music. To me the words suggested highly charged, tumultuous, coruscating textures, with an almost violent emotional intensity. However, at the heart of the piece lies a very simple yet tender motif, which, after a moment of stillness from the depths of the piano, forms the musical basis of the second half, faster and more driven in character. I use the energetic impulse of the line ‘Something else Hauls me through air’ as a means through which to increase the tempo and put the ‘Ariel motif’ through a series of transformations until the piece reaches its eventual climax.

Ariel is dedicated to the Mercury Quartet.

© Mark Simpson, 2023

Reproduction Rights
This note can be reproduced in concert programmes with a credit to the composer.