Two Eardley Pictures

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Two Eardley Pictures is a set of two orchestral compositions written in 2016 by the Scottish composer Helen Grime. It was inspired by two works by the British artist Joan Eardley, for which the music is named. The first piece "Catterline in Winter" was commissioned by the BBC and given its world premiere by the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra conducted by Thomas Dausgaard as part of the BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall, London, on 5 August 2016. [1] The second piece "Snow" was commissioned by the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland and also given its premiere at the Proms by the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland conducted by Ilan Volkov on 7 August 2016. [2] [3] Two Earley Pictures won the prize for Large Scale Work at the 2017 Scottish Awards for New Music. [4]

Contents

Composition

Two Eardley Pictures lasts about 16 minutes in performance and is divided into "I. Catterline in Winter" and "II. Snow," which last around 8 minute each. The two pieces can be played together or as standalone works. [1] [2]

Background

In an interview with The Scotsman , Grime remarked, "I liked the idea [Eardley] was out in the open doing these paintings, persistently trying to get closer to what she was trying to achieve, to the extent that if the sky shifted, she'd move quickly to a fresh canvass to capture the fast changing light." The composer thus approached the two works as musical canvases created back-to-back, adding, "I was interested in using exactly the same base material for each piece, but hearing it in different ways.” Grime described "Catterline in Winter" as "darker and slower," where "Snow" is "brighter and faster." Despite their ordering, the composer perceives "Snow" as the opening of the two, reflecting, “It ends quite darkly, thus providing a natural link into Catterline." [5]

Both pieces contain musical quotes from the traditional Scottish ballad "The Scranky Black Farmer." Despite this, she added, "I don't use it in a recognisable way – you only hear the full melody once. Instead, I've given it a rich, harmonic feel." [5]

Instrumentation

The work is scored for a large orchestra comprising three flutes (3rd doubling piccolo in "Snow"), three oboes (3rd doubling Cor anglais), three clarinets (2nd doubling bass clarinet in "Catterline in Winter"; 3rd doubling E-flat clarinet), two bassoons, contrabassoon, four horns, three trumpets (1st doubling E-flat trumpet in "Catterline in Winter"), two trombones, bass trombone, tuba, three percussionists, harp, celesta, and strings. [1] [2]

Reception

Both pieces have been praised by music critics. Reviewing the world premiere of "Catterline in Winter," The Scotsman wrote, "A smooth wash of sound as the low brass and woodwind growled a heterophonic chorale; skittery dashes of colour, and watercolour effects from the chimes: this was visually-evocative music, clean-textured and filled with light, the contrast between hard-edged brass and mellow strings setting up a constant tension." [6] Reviewing a later performance of "Snow," the same publication wrote that it "proved a compelling synthesis of ­frenetic busyness and needle-sharp definition, its wildness warmly checked by languid swathes of folk melody." [7]

Tim Ashley of The Guardian similarly described "Snow" as "attractively scored" and wrote, "It takes as its starting point 'The Scranky Black Farmer,' a traditional song from the same region, heard at the outset on the clarinets, then shuttled from instrument to instrument in a series of variations, which in turn form the effective landscape across which scurrying figurations and slowly shifting string chords suggest the flurries and drifts of snow." [8]

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The Percussion Concerto is a composition for solo percussion and orchestra by the Scottish composer Helen Grime. The work was commissioned by the Southbank Centre, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, and the Swedish Chamber Orchestra. It was first performed by the percussionist Colin Currie and the London Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Marin Alsop at the Royal Festival Hall, London, on 16 January 2019.

The Trombone Concerto is a composition for trombone and orchestra written by the Scottish composer James MacMillan. The work was commissioned by the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra for their principal trombonist Jörgen van Rijen and co-commissioned by a consortium of orchestras comprising the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Royal Flemish Philharmonic Orchestra, the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, the Oulu Symphony Orchestra, and the Philharmonisches Orchester des Staatstheaters Cottbus. It was first performed by Jörgen van Rijen and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra under the direction of Iván Fischer at the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, on 20 April 2017. The piece is dedicated to Jörgen van Rijen and in memory of Sara Maria MacMillan, the composer's granddaughter, who died shortly before its composition.

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Helen Grime's Violin Concerto was written between 2015 and 2016 on a commission from the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra. Its world premiere was performed by the violinist Malin Broman and the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Daniel Harding at Berwald Hall, Stockholm, on 15 December 2016.

Trumpet Concerto, night-sky-blue, is a concerto for trumpet and orchestra written in 2022 by the Scottish composer Helen Grime. The work was commissioned by the Koussevitzky Foundation, Library of Congress, the London Symphony Orchestra, and the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Its world premiere was given by the trumpeter Håkan Hardenberger and the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by François-Xavier Roth at the Barbican Centre, London, on 3 April 2022.

Woven Space is an orchestral composition written in 2017 by the Scottish composer Helen Grime. The work was commissioned by the Barbican Centre for Sir Simon Rattle and the London Symphony Orchestra, which first performed the piece conducted by Rattle on 19 April 2019. The piece was the recipient of the Large Scale New Work award at the 2019 Scottish Awards for New Music.

Virga is a short orchestral composition written in 2007 by the Scottish composer Helen Grime. The work was commissioned by the London Symphony Orchestra in partnership with UBS, as part of the UBS Soundscapes: Pioneers series. The piece was given its world premiere by the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Yan Pascal Tortelier at the Barbican Centre, London, on 1 July 2007. In 2010, Virga was selected by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra as one the best ten new classical works of the 2000s.

Helen Grime's Piano Concerto was written for the between 2016 and 2017 on a joint commission from Wigmore Hall and the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group. Its world premiere was given by the pianist Huw Watkins, Grime's husband, and members of the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group at Wigmore Hall, London, on 3 March 2017.

Meditations on Joy is a composition for orchestra written in 2019 by the Scottish composer Helen Grime. The work was jointly commissioned by the BBC, the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Its world premiere was given by the Los Angeles Philharmonic conducted by Otto Tausk at the Walt Disney Concert Hall on 23 February 2023.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Grime, Helen (2016). "Two Eardley Pictures: I. Catterline in Winter". G. Schirmer Inc. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 Grime, Helen (2016). "Two Eardley Pictures: II. Snow". G. Schirmer Inc. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  3. ↑ Parr, Freya (26 July 2016). "Six of the best… Proms premieres from 2016 you don't want to miss". BBC Music Magazine . Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  4. ↑ "Scottish Awards for New Music winners announced". BBC Music Magazine. 21 March 2017. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  5. 1 2 "How artist Joan Eardley inspired Helen Grime to find new sound". The Scotsman . 6 August 2016. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  6. ↑ "Classical review: Prom 27/Prom 28". The Scotsman. 8 August 2016. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  7. ↑ "Music review: BBC SSO - Scottish Inspirations". The Scotsman. 13 December 2016. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  8. ↑ Ashley, Tim (8 August 2016). "NYOS/Volkov and BBCSSO/Dausgaard at the Proms review – poised snow-inspired premiere and refined Russians". The Guardian . Retrieved 30 July 2023.
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