29: The Instrumentation
Lightfall is composed for a fairly standard orchestra, the significant difference being the exclusion of trumpets. This omission makes the solo horn the highest and brightest brass instrument in the performance.
Trumpeters Fly Home at Interval
The orchestral horns are under-utilized for the same reason and only play in the higher registers when they are echoing the soloist in canon. Even during the brass chorales of Part Two they act more as a neutral extension of the trombone section than a colour of their own.
Orchestral horns usually come in pairs. The reason for this is quite ancient and no longer as relevant as it once was (I will see if I can write about this in the future) and yet mostly you will still find composers asking for two horns or four or six. I wanted to find ways to limit the density of the orchestra so that the soloist is not battling against a great weight. Dvorak’s Cello Concerto is on the same program at the Lightfall premiere so I had a look at the score and noticed that he had written for just three horns. As the composition of my piece unfolded I could see that three horns were perfectly appropriate for what I was writing. It is also a nice idea that the principal horn has simply vacated his seat to come down to perform at the front of the orchestra.
Ben Jacks (L) principal horn, Lee Bracegirdle (R) horn, Sydney Symphony (photo: Keith Saunders)
I purposely have not designated a specific string size. A maximum would be 14:12:10:8:6 and an minimum 10:8:6:4:2, but these things depend on the acoustics of the hall and the strength and precision of the players, so the decision is best left up to the conductor. I was told at the time of being commissioned that there would be the maximum available but Robert Johnson and I were wondering if (taking the acoustics of the concert hall of the Sydney Opera House into account) 12:12:10:8:6 might be best. This would work particularly well if the first and second violins are on the left and right of the conductor (rather than next to each other on the left). I have sent a note to Richard Gill requesting this seating so we will see what happens on the day. The violin writing in both parts are largely antiphonal and the division across the front of the stage would clarify the lines.
Vladimir Ashkenazy conducts the Sydney Symphony at the Sydney Opera House (photo: Keith Saunders)
The instrumentation of Lightfall is:
Piccolo
Flute
Oboe 1
Oboe 2/Cor Anglais
Clarinet 1
Clarinet 2/Bass Clarinet
Bassoon 1
Bassoon 2/Contrabassoon
3 Horns
2 Trombones
Bass Trombone
Tuba
Timpani
3 Percussion
(I: 2 Suspended Cymbals, Cabasa)
(II: Vibraphone)
(III: Tam-tam, Marimba)
Piano
Harp
Strings
Solo Horn
Reader Comments
I am here to bring some comments to this site!
Apart from the instrumentation of the horns in Dvorak’s Cello Concerto, is there any other factors in the other concerto’s (Dvorak or Handel) that played a role in writing this piece?
Also, could you elaborate on how the SOH stage (may have/has) affected the piece?
Woop’s, I forgot to mention, just for those who want to know what the pieces that are going to be playing on the premiere:
HANDEL Concerto grosso, Op.6 No.3
DVORÁK Cello Concerto in B minor
GORDON Horn Concerto (Lightfall)
The night is called “Meet the Concerto”. Go figure.
Thanks Joshua. The Dvorak was precisely the sort of concerto I didn’t want to write (not that I have anything against it! It’s a wonderful piece). However, it is what Robert Johnson describes as a “stand-and-deliver” concerto (or in this case “sit-and-deliver”), where the soloist is firmly planted in front of a subordinate orchestra. I wanted to write something where the horn works in ensemble with the orchestra, where the orchestra has an equally important role in the overall texture of the piece. Co-incidently I listened to the Handel for the first time today, months after finishing Lightfall.
As for the concert hall there is, in effect, no ceiling or back wall to bounce the sound directly back to the players and the audience. The sound is further muddied by accents ricocheting off the side boxes. I put this out of my mind as I composed because the piece needs to work in all concert halls but my comment in this post was to do with performance and I think the larger options of low strings will strengthen the overall sound. I don’t know what Richard Gill thinks of this, at the moment, but it is the conductor’s call. CG