Product Description
Program notes provided by the composer:
Divertimento for Winds dates from 1963, when I was studying at the Royal Academy of Music. I entered it for a student competition for a piece of light orchestral music, which it won. As well as a cash prize, it was guaranteed a broadcast, and entered the regular BBC repertoire. As a result it received numerous broadcasts in the following years, was published (under its original title of Divertimento for Small Orchestra) and eventually appeared on CD. It is in four movements.
The work shows the influence of various composers, of which two are worth mentioning. I was very struck by the way Prokofiev’s melodies tend to modulate through various keys within themselves, which gives them a particularly individual character, and virtually all the melodies in Divertimento do the same. Also, I was also at the time briefly enthused by the music of Malcolm Arnold, who delighted in throwing firecrackers into the rather staid world of British classical music. This rather rebellious, snook-cocking style is evident in both the March and the Jig.ย
ย 1. March ย
Over a steady marching tread, a solo flute introduces the main melody, joined in turn by the other instruments as the marchers approach.. After a sudden crescendo, the whole band bursts forth in a rather rowdy version of the tune before gradually calming down, with the woodwind leading us into a quiet Coda as the marchers disappear from sight.
ย 2.Waltz ย
After a brief intro, the main melody is characterised as a duet, initially between clarinets, then taken up by the other instruments. The brisk 3/4 waltz time is slightly disrupted by the occasional 5/4 bar. Otherwise, the melody passes through a series of variants which need no further analysis.ย ย
3.Serenade ย
A quiet, harp-based introduction leads to a calm, serene melody on solo Oboe. This is given varied treatment by the other instruments, before a rising crescendo of overlapping modulations is crowned by a triumphant climax, before a gradual relaxation brings a return of the harp intro, fading into silence. ย
4:Jig ย
A loud chord heralds a complete change of mood, as we are transported into the reckless world of the fairground. Over a rather unsteady brass rhythm, a high-spirited tune on the high woodwind is later taken up by the strings playing it at half-speed (but over the same rhythm), before they and the wind unite. However, the proceedings are soon interrupted by the trombones, playing a rather vulgar tune (marked pesante), as a circus band arrives. After other instruments have joined in, the original material re-asserts itself, before a big ritardando leads to the transformation of the high-spirited tune into a boisterous march. As this gradually quietens down, the basses recall the steady marching tread from the first movement. After a brief pause, the music speeds headlong into the final flourish.