TOM COULT | Gymnopédies for small chamber orchestra – 20211.1.1.1, 1.0.0.0, hp, strings (min 4.3.2.2.1)9 mins

Gymnopédies

i. Crotchet=52
ii. With an expansive freedom
iii. Gently swaying
iv. Still
v. Slowly dancing

These five short Gymnopédies were written for solo piano during a period when I was having great difficulty composing. I had written a fragment of a Gymnopédie in a piece of mine whose premiere was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and I made an altered version for piano – partly as pianist Rolf Hind was seeking small works for solo piano to record at home, partly just to keep busy. Having heard Rolf play this short piece (the first of this set), I set about writing four more, and later made this transcription for the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra.

The three Gymnopédies of Erik Satie are the only real examples of the form, so in writing new ones, I was free to decide which features of those three strange pieces make them ‘Gymnopédies’. Some of my pieces share the distinctive surface features of Satie’s examples and some don’t.

Writing something that emulated the studied simplicity of Satie’s models was a great tonic, and allowed me to get notes down quite quickly, after so much time when none were coming.

Instrumentation:

chamber orchestra: 1.1.1.1, 1.0.0.0, hp, strings (min 4.3.2.2.1)

Duration:

9 mins

Commission:

Commissioned by BBC Radio 3

Score:

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