Instrumentation
2(II=picc).2.2(II=bcl).2(II=cbsn) – 2200 – perc(1): large tam-t/4 gongs/4 bamboo clusters/10 small bowls and bells/4 Japanese rins/3 crot/2 susp.bells/wdbl – strings (min 7.6.4.3.3)
Availability
Score 0571520510 on sale, parts for hire
Programme Notes
Tranquil Abiding is a Buddhist term for a state of single-pointed concentration. This piece is a 14-minute movement based throughout on a single, slow breathing rhythm. The rhythm consists of an “inhalation” on an upper note followed by an “exhalation” on a lower one. There are melodic fragments above it: one using only one pitch, another three pitches, another five pitches, another eight pitches and a fifth fifteen pitches.
It is scored for small orchestra and was commissioned jointly by Riverside Symphony and Bournemouth Orchestras as the result, respectively, of a Koussevitsky award and funds provided by the Arts Council of England.
JH