Orchestra

Throwing a Line

for Chamber Orchestra (Flute, Bb Clarinet, Oboe, Bassoon, Horn, Piano, Percussion, 2 Violins, Viola, Cello, Double Bass) and CD, June 2008

Throwing a Line is a emotional depiction inspired by a fable regarding a little-known chess match between two grand masters that took place aboard a ship off the coast of Vancouver, which later sunk before the results of the match had been reported. The piece is begins with brief ascending gesture in the woodwinds, akin to the western sandpiper, and proceeds with various elemental gestures such as the wave like motion in the strings, and the introduction of the major rhythmic theme of seagull calls. The work then moves into a dense-chorale texture evoking the sense of arrested time, as the fateful ship heads out to sea towards no-mans-land, and a chess-match, which will bring no survivors. The piece then morphs into the concluding S.O.S. refrain, which unfolds across the orchestra in a sullen and soft resolve towards their inevitable fate: entombed forever at the bottom of the sea.

Performance by the l’Orchestre de la francophonie canadienne, at the NAC 2008 Composers Programme on June 23rd, 2008. Conducted by Gary Kulesha

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.