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Bronze (1997-98) |
large ensemble - 20'
Bronze is a metal, a material from which things can be made. The stuff of sculpture, it is beaten, forged and moulded to make glowing fantastical shapes and polished abstracts. This is a simple piece of abstract music, its sounds and forms, its colours and textures relate only to the material of which they’re made.
Cast in a single 20 minute span, the piece is for eighteen solo players nearly all of whom double other instruments. Some of the sounds are exotic; cimbalom, celeste, prepared piano and wind multiphonics jostle for attention within the group, and at one point, a forest of bamboo chimes underpins the melodies. There are moments when the cimbalom has the most important role, at other times four other instruments are highlighted - soprano saxophone, cello, viola and cor anglais. Each of these has an occasional sentence of notes of virtuoso difficulty, but they are heard as a quartet just before the huge ‘wall’ of sound that contitutes the end of the work.
Bronze was commissioned by the Brunel Ensemble and dedicated to their conductor Christopher Austin.
© Diana Burrell