2021 · Clarinet, violin & cello
Eternal Return
One cello melody contains the seeds of its own elaborations, passing through changing characters without leaving its original framework.
Perusal
Inside the score
Printed score page 10 catches the trio in a wild, forceful episode: accented clarinet figures tumble through changing subdivisions as violin and cello shift between bowed and plucked attacks.
- Year
- 2021
- Forces
- Clarinet, violin & cello
- Duration
- c. 4′00″
- Instrumentation
- B♭ clarinet, violin and cello
About the work
24 / 30Programme note
Eternal Return begins with a melody spoken by the cello alone. The piece examines that line closely, drawing its subsequent material from within the melody rather than introducing a succession of unrelated ideas. Its variations are further elaborations: fragments of the opening thought change register, pace and instrumental voice while retaining a connection to their source.
The trio moves between expressive, turbulent and more exposed states. Clarinet and violin join the cello in carrying and reshaping the line; attacks, rests, changes of bow colour and vibrato alter its character as much as its pitches do. On the perusal page, the music turns wild: accented clarinet runs meet rapidly changing bowed and plucked string figures. The return promised by the title is therefore a repeated act of looking again: the melody remains the piece’s framework even as each encounter discloses another aspect of it.
History
Credits & performances
- Commission
- Cheltenham Music Festival
- Written for
- Chineke! musicians
Score & materials
Request the complete score.
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