Programme Note
‘Endless Song’, a short work for solo piano in a single movement, was written within the space of two days during a happy and productive stay in one of the artists’ studios at the Banff Centre for the Arts, Canada during May 1999.
Like my string orchestra work ‘Dances from Forgotten Places’ it explores aesthetic areas that are not normally associated with contemporary music, in this instance serenity and tranquillity. The piece represents a further departure for me since the opening melody has a strophic feel. Yet despite its apparent simplicity there are no exact repeats in the work and the simple melody based on a rocking movement of thirds continues to evolve throughout against a reiterated patteren of bass notes. The endlessness of the song is given further meaning in an extended coda.
‘Endless Song’ was commissioned by the North Wales Music Festival with funds made available by the Arts Council of Wales. The first performance was given by Iwan Llewelyn-Jones, who also gave the London premiere in September 2000. It has been broadcast on Radio 3 and Classic FM and taken up by various pianists across the world. There are three recordings of Endless Song :
- Iwan Llewelyn-Jones (Sain Records 2001)
- Ivan Ilic (2008 available on You Tube)
- Margaret Fingerhut (Chandos 2014; also available on You Tube)