Divertimento
for chamber ensemble
Instrumentation:
ob.hp.2vln.vla.vc (all doubling percussion)
Duration:
12’
The piece is very much informed by the peculiarity of the ensemble itself, or as I saw it, the meta-ensemble; a confounded arrangement of familiar and well-established classical archetypes, such as the string quartet, oboe quartet, and harp trio. This particularly unusual combination of instruments in many ways denies any natural musical hierarchy, and it is this notion of “hierarchical dissonance” and the dichotomy between the familiar and the peculiar that underpins almost every aspect of the composition.
Recording available on Antiarkie, released on NMC Recordings, performed by Britten Sinfonia.
Performances
27 November 2014 Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival
9 April 2013 Britten Sinfonia, West Road Concert Hall, Cambridge
6 April 2013 Britten Sinfonia, University of Cambridge (CMPCP), Cambridge
5 April 2013 Britten Sinfonia, Norwich Assembly House, Norwich
3 April 2013 Britten Sinfonia, Wigmore Hall, London