Audio Sample
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Performance by Sally Whitwell from the CD Dancing with somebody |
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CD
Dancing with somebody / Joe Twist.
Version: This product features the Solo Piano version of this work
Library shelf no. CD 2675 [Not for loan]
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Work Overview
Sleeping has long been a fascinating and frustrating activity for
me. I am a very light sleeper, if not a frequent insomniac, and
when I do sleep I often have bizarre and surreal dreams - which I
assume most of us experience at some point. Sleeping is a
mysterious activity; a strange altered state of consciousness
that may involve sleepwalking, nightmares and fantasies, while
also being an essential part of living,
providing rejuvenation,
relaxation, escape and peace. The power of sleep may go further;
as Walt Whitman suggested, sleep is a democratising force - even
murderers sleep like the rest of us, young and old, black and
white.
I Dance Myself to Sleep explores the general idea of
sleep, but more specifically it relates to a perplexing recurring
dream that involves the central 'female companion' characters
from some of my favourite childhood movies like Superman, the
Indiana Jones films and the Star Wars saga. Representing this is
a repeated, romantic melody - a 'love theme' that I wrote at the
age of 12 in homage to the enchanting love themes in film scores
by John Williams, Jerry Goldsmith and Max Steiner. However, this
recurring dream developed over several years, becoming less
whimsical and naive, allegorically suggesting a loss of
innocence. This is represented musically in my work by the
juxtaposition of sweeping romanticism and haunting musical
gestures. The simple melody is played in contexts made
bittersweet by particular orchestration, counterpoint and harmony
that shrouds
and taints the unadorned melody. I Dance Myself
to Sleep synthesises several musical influences on my work,
including film music and jazz harmony, as well as particular
works of Maurice Ravel and Toru Takemitsu.
Joseph Twist © 2011
Work Details
Year: 2010
Instrumentation: Flute (doubling piccolo), oboe (doubling on cor anglais), 2 clarinets in Bb (2nd doubling bass clarinet), bassoon, 2 horns in F, 2 trumpets in C, trombone, tuba, timpani, percussion (2 players), harp, piano (doubling celeste), strings.
Duration: 8 min.
Difficulty: Advanced
Commission note: Commissioned by Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.. Commissioned as part of the Cybec 21st Century Composer Program
First performance: by Melbourne Symphony Orchestra — 29 Jan 11. Iwaki Auditorium ABC Southbank Centre, Melbourne
Written for the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra as part of the Cybec 21st Century Composer Program 2010
Analysis
Resonate article: The life story of a diva as told by a string quartet by Joseph Twist
Performances of this work
20 Feb 2013: at Once Upon a Time - Sally Whitwell (The Famous Spiegeltent (Melbourne)). Featuring Sally Whitwell.
30 Apr 2011: at MSO: Dancing in the Dark (The Malthouse).
29 Jan 11: Iwaki Auditorium ABC Southbank Centre, Melbourne. Featuring Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.
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