When the Iris Trio asked me for Night Music, I observed that we seemed to be living, in fact, in a quite dark time. Coincidentally, I was also, just then, collaborating with the Scottish poet David Cameron on another project, In a Darker Vein, a setting of 9 rather dark poems. And I was about to embark on a set of 12 Nocturnes (Music for a Dark Time) as my next creative project. And so darkness was in the air, and the Pandemic was soon to descend on us.
In this context, I applied myself to the positives in the project: writing for the Iris Trio was a thrilling opportunity, and I poured myself into extracting all the expressive possibilities of this exciting ensemble, most particularly the beautiful nuances of combining the soulful sound of the viola with the dark timbre of the A clarinet. Not to mention the mercurial technique of the pianist, Anna Petrova.
I wanted to express deep emotions, as one might expect from the musicians of the Iris Trio. I imagined feelings of determination, passion and an unstoppable desire to overcome the darkness that had descended upon us.
I am grateful to the Iris Trio for asking me for this work, one that I feel represents who I am, my voice, artistically, during this dark time.
