The score to Julian Anderson's Khorovod
Dedicated to the mercurial Oliver Knussen, Khorovod (1989-94) is an energetic, bustling set of Russian round dances for an ensemble of fifteen players, with extensive percussion. Anderson’s score takes melodic and rhythmic inspiration from various folk musics, including Lithuanian, Russian, Turkish, Romanian, and Spanish influences. Anderson creates simple melodic and rhythmic patterns, which he overlaps and juxtaposes extravagantly across the work’s 12-minute duration to create textures of striking vitality.