Score and parts on special sale from the Hire Library

In Sparking & Slipping I wanted to capture some of the spirit (though not the sound) of baroque music. I like the white-knuckle virtuosity of a lot of Vivaldi, for instance, and the idea of an ensemble that supports and provides a backdrop to the pyrotechnics of the soloist like in a baroque opera, rather than contributing much material of its own. Sparking & Slipping is a virtuosic showpiece for violin, with an accompagnato group of piano, harp & (mostly tuned) percussion. Its first and last sections are based around an obsessive, dance-like theme, while the central section sees the violin sculpt an extended, lyrical, melodic line. The piano, harp and percussion generally act together as one large resonating chamber for the violin – with the exception of a significant piano solo in the work’s second half.