Australian Music Centre | Breaking sound barriers

Work Overview

If for soprano, violin, cello and orchestra written in two weeks in January 2016. What started as a lighthearted experiment soon transformed into an undeniable confrontation. I had been juggling with the idea of writing a neo romantic piece for 15 years or so, from a perspective that this kind of music was all to easy. And indeed it was. The writing flowed like a torrential river and was finished in 2 weeks time. But what I hadn't anticipated on is that it would hit me as being pivotal in my oeuvre. I could not get around it or push it aside as an amusing exercise. Reluctantly I put out a few feelers in the professional world which all came back with very positive feedback.

It has become a pivotal piece in my oeuvre in that it breaks with my previous hectic, recalcitrant style and dense scoring. It is much more a contemplative, aerodynamic and smoothly flowing piece. I tend to regard my oeuvre as before and after If.

I used the poem If by Rudyard Kipling, written in 1910, for the lyrics.

Work Details

Year: 2016

Instrumentation: Solo soprano, solo violin, solo cello, 2 flutes (1st doubling piccolo), 2 oboes, 2 clarinets in B flat, bassoon, contra-bassoon, 2 horns, 2 trumpets, 2 trombones, tuba, vibraphone (no motor), strings.

Duration: 14 min.

Difficulty: Advanced — high soprano is required