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Trends in Personal Relationships

The piece is primarily informed by the brief to challenge young players of the London Sinfonietta Academy, and also provide a coherent piece for the main ensemble. It is a large-scale, five-movement chamber work for 15 instrumentalists. The second movement is considerably the most substantial, and the others act as satellite movements. This main movement takes a large sequence of chords with a full set of chromatic permutations, which feature mainly in the piano part. Although it contains some of the most dramatic musical activity and superficially governs the forward momentum of the piece (each sequence seems to speed up and each new sequence marks an increase in tempo), the material is essentially neutral in terms of levels of harmonic tension. A second layer of material is responsible for harmonic momentum, and it is only in the violent extended final section that these two elements come together in purpose. There is a final epilogue for harp that generates new harmony by combining the two previous layers into new chords. The first movement explores melody in unison and in canon, rhythmically independent from other sections of the ensemble. The third movement is an echo and distillation of features of the second: a section of pizzicato material derived from the second movement is developed into two sets of rhythmically dynamic chords which are superimposed to create a complex texture; the harp coda is mirrored with a static viola solo. The fourth movement explores dramatically- evolving melody that culminates in triggering more elaborate and complex string music. The final movement separates out the exploration of line and vertical music examined elsewhere in the piece.

Invited performance: 12 July 2012, Central Saint Martins, London: London Sinfonietta Academy Ensemble, conductor Elgar Howarth. World première: 2 December 2012, Queen Elizabeth Hall: London Sinfonietta, conductor Martyn Brabbins.