Score
Acquisition : for orchestra / Elliott Gyger.
Library shelf no. 784.2/GYG 1 [Available for loan]
Work Overview
Part 1 of Stravinsky's Rite of Spring closes with a
vibrantly rhythmic section usually known as The Dance of the
Earth. The original Russian title, however, has more complex
undertones: its literal translation is The Acquisition of the
Earth by Dancing. Humanity's relationship to the Earth,
portrayed elsewhere in the ballet in terms of reverence and awe,
here takes on a distinctly proprietorial character. Indeed, the
word "acquisition", at first blush scientifically neutral, has
proven extremely versatile as a euphemism for a range of
predatory human behaviours - rampant consumerism, black-market
transactions, repossession of mortgaged property, hostile
corporate takeovers, colonization, military occupation - and our
treatment of the planet we live on seems deeply tainted by the
same mindset.
This work is both a meditation on these darker aspects of human
nature, and a creative response to Stravinsky's towering
masterpiece. It draws particularly on three elements from The
Rite: its amazingly inventive writing for the woodwind,
individually and in groups; the use of the orchestra to create
powerful blocks of sound which are rapidly juxtaposed or stacked
up in layers; and the unerring sense of formal progression,
especially in Part 1, whereby energy builds across a series of
distinct sections and tempi.
Acquisition is shaped as a single accumulation across
the first twelve of its thirteen sections. It begins quietly, at
moderate tempo in the mid-range with clarinets and harps.
Subsequent sections become progressively longer, faster, louder,
denser and more aggressive, and occupy more and more of the
orchestra's pitch range. The "dancing" origins of Stravinsky's
score inform the work's pulsing polyrhythms. There is no pause
for breath until the closing pages, a traumatised reflection on
what has come before.
Work Details
Year: 2016
Instrumentation: 3 Flutes (3rd doubling piccolo), 3 oboes (3rd doubling cor anglais), 3 clarinets in Bb (2nd doubling clarinet in Eb, 3rd doubling bass clarinet in Bb), 3 bassoons (3rd doubling contrabassoon), 4 horns in F, 3 trumpets in C, 2 tenor trombones, bass trombone, tuba, timpani, percussion (3 players), 2 harps, strings (16.14.12.10.8).
Duration: 12 min.
Difficulty: Advanced
Written for: David Robertson, Sydney Symphony Orchestra
Commission note: Commissioned by Sydney Symphony Orchestra with funds provided by Geoff Stearn.
First performance: by Sydney Symphony Orchestra, David Robertson at SSO: Gyger and Stravinsky - Petrushka (Sydney Opera House, Concert Hall) on 17 Aug 2016
Subjects
- Inspired by: Ballet
Performances of this work
19 Aug 2016: at SSO: Gyger and Stravinsky - Petrushka (Sydney Opera House, Concert Hall). Featuring Sydney Symphony Orchestra, David Robertson.
18 Aug 2016: at SSO: Gyger and Stravinsky - Petrushka (Sydney Opera House, Concert Hall). Featuring Sydney Symphony Orchestra, David Robertson.
17 Aug 2016: at SSO: Gyger and Stravinsky - Petrushka (Sydney Opera House, Concert Hall). Featuring Sydney Symphony Orchestra, David Robertson.
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