H96 Organ Book 1 (2022)
The third piece of Organ Book 1, eternity’s sunrise, was first performed at the Musiikkitalo, Helsinki as part of the Kaija Saariaho Organ Composition Competition on 21 September by Amelie Held
Instrumentation: Solo Organ
Duration: c. 27’
Programme note:
Organ Book 1 is a collection of three pieces as follows:
Merry-Go-Round (after Gertler)
ʻMerry-Go-Round (after Gertler)ʼ takes its impetus from the painting by Mark Gertler that I first saw in Tate Britain in the late ʼ70s. Once seen it can never be unseen. The mood seems to be far from ʻmerryʼ. The riders look terrified. There is a sense of impending calamity about it. I have wanted to write a piece that has a similar atmosphere to it ever since. It should sound as if a malfunctioning fairground organ has started up of its own accord, which eventually runs out of steam.
Gironde (after Kelly)
ʻGironde (after Kelly)' takes its impetus from the American artist, Ellsworth Kellyʼs painting, ʻGironde' from 1951. The painting is formed from a grid of 16 identical squares, each of which has a varied patterning of yellow and white lines which are either placed vertically or horizontally. The piece follows this form and is composed of 16 continuous, 30 second long sections of harmonically and rhythmically related elements. The piece is dedicated to the memory of my art teacher from school days, Molly Penrice, who once had us all making something of a similar nature to the Kelly painting during an afternoon of design in art class.
eternity's sunrise (after Blake)
This piece, after the poem, ʻEternityʼ, by William Blake, is derived from a few musical ideas that are mulled over and spun out over three obsessive sections. The bulk of the material comes from the third section. The Blake poem seems to pinpoint the very nature of what unleashed creativity is all about in four distinctive, direct lines. The three sections are as follows: 1] ʻHe who bindsʼ 2] ʻthe joy as it fliesʼ 3] ʻthe wingéd lifeʼ
Eternity
He who binds to himself a joy
Does the wingéd life destroy;
But he who kisses the joy as it flies
Lives in eternityʼs sunrise.
William Blake
Past Performances:
21 September 2024 (World Première of eternity’s sunrise)
Amelie Held (organ)
Musiikkitalo, Helsinki, Finland