Aria – Commemoration

Notes

This is an adaptation of the first movement of my Concerto for Bassoon and Chamber Orchestra, which was commissioned by Graham Salvage and first performed in 1995. The principal ideas of the Aria are a fivenote ostinato, which plays almost continuously with constantly shifting harmony, and a slowly evolving lament for the bassoon. A chorale appears after the opening section which is derived from VE Day, A Commemoration, a brass sextet I composed for the VE Day 50th anniversary commemoration service in Manchester Cathedral.

First performances:

Graham Salvage (bassoon) & RNCM New Ensemble, conductor Edward Warren, Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester, 19 November 1995 (Concerto for Bassoon and Chamber Orchestra).

Benjamin Hudson (bassoon) & Adam Johnson (piano), Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester, 20 April 1999 (Aria-Commemoration).