Ellpisis (2021)
Commissioned by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, premiered 3rd February 2022 at the Royal Festival Hall, London. Conducted by Vasily Petrenko
c. 10”40 3333 - 4331 - 4perc, tp, 2hp, celeste, strings
Programme Notes
Ellipsis was conceived as the musical equivalent of time-lapse photography, charting the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra’s steadfast journey through a constantly evolving London musical scene over the last seventy-five years. The music alludes to key moments in the orchestra’s history: the sense of heady anticipation at its launch, times when concert halls nearly fell silent, and its ongoing role reaffirmed at the end. In between the listener is invited to fill in the gaps, as the title suggests. As with the time-lapse technique, the music occupies different temporal worlds — one that unfolds with majestic slowness and another that flits by with busy images that leave a passing impression. After an effervescent opening, the musics ebbs into stillness and a harp presents a short rising theme. This will be picked up by strings and woodwind later before emerging in full glory on the brass towards the end. There is an inevitability to the journey Ellipsis describes, like an arc from dawn to dusk, a clarity of purpose that derives from Howard’s practice of always making a ‘map of emotional intensity’ before putting pen to manuscript. Within the larger picture is also a smaller detail, a quick nod to the orchestra’s founder, Sir Thomas Beecham, as the celeste impersonates one of the music boxes of which he was so fond. At a time when much seems cast in shadow, this is music that embraces brightness, imagining the RPO as a beacon that will continue to shine beyond the ‘dot-dot-dot’ of the final bars. Commissioned by the RPO to celebrate their 75th season
