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Score [ePDF]
Lungs : for orchestra [eScore] / Alex Turley.
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Work Overview
In this work, I imagine the entire orchestra as a big pair of lungs. The music swells up and down as if inhaling and exhaling, as melodies intertwine and branch out like tree-like bronchi and bronchioles.
I used this piece as an opportunity to highlight a few of my favourite things that an orchestra can do. It is an exercise in compositional restraint and an exploration of a delicate yet vibrant colour palette. As a wind player and an occasional singer, breath is incredibly fundamental to how I intuit music, and I think that this translates into my string and percussion writing too.
It was a pleasure to write this piece as the first of three commissions in my role as Cybec Young Composer in Residence with the MSO in 2022.
Work Details
Year: 2021
Instrumentation: 2 flutes, oboe, cor anglais, 2 clarinets in B flat, 2 bassoons, 2 horns in F, 2 trumpets in C, tenor trombone, bass trombone, 2 percussion (crotales, glockenspiel, bass drum, vibraphone, 2 bows required), piano, harp, strings (min 8.6.4.4.2)
Duration: 8 min.
Difficulty: Advanced
Commission note: Commissioned by Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.
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