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Saturn (1982) |
orchestra and live electronics - 29'
This work is unashamedly a Tone Poem. It was motivated by the thrilling photographs and information received from the Voyager II spacecraft during its voyage past Saturn. In spite of my great love for Holst’s Saturn – Bringer of Old Age (The Planets), I was compelled by the notion that the mythological name of the planet had become a misnomer in view of the incredible beauty and remarkable geometry of the satellites revealed to us by the new space technology. Nevertheless, the mythology remains as a complementary element in the characterisation of the music. There are seventeen satellites, all but two lying within the equatorial plane of Saturn and its rings. The exceptions are lapetus and Phoebe, the latter perversely travelling clockwise while the rest revolve counter clockwise. Eight of them are ‘shepherds’ either travelling within the rings or accompanying other satellites.
The music begins with a representation of the rings and ‘shepherds’ establishing the harmonic and modal matrix for the free variations, which follow. The variations pursue the order of the satellite outwards.
1. Mimas – a small-cratered satellite representing mimicry. Tape delay and controlled feedback elaborate the texture.
2. Enceladus – small and bright. In the giant’s revolt Athene flattened him out with a missile and he became the island of Sicily.
3.
Tethys – has a shimmering quality, which retains a close association with its mythological namesake, a water goddess. Woodwind multiphonics with ring modulations are used.
4. Dione – a divine queen, a satellite with streaks of bright light. This is a fugal movement for strings.
5.
Rhea – battered and dark. As the wife of Saturn the music portrays her in sinister brass, woodwind and percussion.
6.
Titan – a lord. It is a slow and sultry world. The alto flute emerges at Hyperion, a satellite of Titan.
7.
Lapetus – the father of Prometheus. A very bright and yet black world.
8.
Phoebe – always associated with the moon. Dark and ruddy.
The finale is Saturn itself – Kronos, father of Jupiter, the last king of the Titans, Lord of the Misrule, who yielded to the Olympians.
The music gathers together all the elements created on the satellite movements with the various electronic treatments.
The work was commissioned by Sir David Wilcocks to celebrate the centenary of the Royal College of Music. I have made it a tribute to Holst (a distinguished predecessor on the staff of the college) by basing the harmonic structure on his Saturn chord. No prizes for those who detect this!
© Edwin Roxburgh 2002