Flute, Cello & Piano
SKU: ST.C320
Composed by Mark Tanner.
Chamber music. Clifton
Edition #C320. Published
by Clifton Edition
(ST.C320).
ISBN
9790570813209.
Composer’s
Note:
I composed
The Planets to
be performed during my
tenure as Composer in
Residence at Chetham’s
International Piano
Summer School,
Manchester, in August
2018. Drawing inspiration
from Holst’s Suite of
the same name – a work
of unstoppable importance
– my composition
nevertheless contrasts
conspicuously, both in
its overall scheme (nine
movements instead of
seven) and orientation
(my work takes the Sun as
its point of orientation,
whereas Holst places the
Earth at the centre point
and hence leaves it out
of the musical scheme).
There is, as a
consequence, a sense of
increasing serenity to my
music following the
effervescence of Jupiter,
though there are
reverberations of earlier
themes and moods in the
concluding movement,
Pluto, which nevertheless
ends enigmatically as
befits its distant,
‘cold’ designation.
Pluto was left out of
Holst’s work for good
reason – it had yet to
be discovered – though
Colin Matthews redressed
the situation admirably
in 2000. Whether one
chooses to go along with
Pluto’s unresolved
status, or indeed to
promote it to the
position of ‘full’
planet (amusingly, Pluto
became demoted to dwarf-
planet in 1992) is
perhaps less important
than its potential to
evince a musical spirit
entirely to
itself.
Performanc
e Note:
Movements
may be performed
separately as desired,
though the connections
between musical
characters will of course
be lost in doing so. In
Neptune and Pluto (which
are best performed
attacca) I include
infrequent use of a bell,
pitched at B4. This
denotes the intangibility
of time; it adds a
welcome new colour, as
well as an additional
element for the audience
to ponder on. A standard
hotel receptionist’s
bell was used in the
inaugural performance –
surprisingly resonant,
even in a sizeable
auditorium – though if
this is unavailable the
cellist can play the same
note (or harmonic, if
preferred).
World
Premiere given at Stoller
Hall, Chetham’s School
of Music, Manchester,
August 2018: Gillian
Poznansky (flute),
Sebastian Poznansky
(cello) and Mark Tanner
(piano).
Duration:
30 minutes
Grade
8(+)
Former Spartan
Press Cat. No.:
SP1419.
