Trends in personal relationshipsis a piece for large ensemble in five movements – Threesome; Benign violations; Falling in love and the Internet; Trends in personal relationships; and Exhausted English landscapes. The piece oscillates between dissonant abstract musical relationships and (my idea of) romantic musical material and I ended up thinking of music of the music as interactions between fictitious characters as well as pleasing ways of organising sounds and patterns. The titles refer to these two worlds – Threesome, for example, is simultaneously a reference to a melody shared between three players, three autonomous duos and a final unison melody in three fragments, as much as anything more salacious.
This piece was commissioned by the London Sinfonietta and it was a pleasure and to dedicate it to Anthony Mackintosh as a modest part of the celebration of his time as Chairman of that ensemble.
Commissioned by the London Sinfonietta for Anthony Mackintosh, to mark his contribution and commitment to the ensemble as Chairman, and for his un-ending support of emerging composers and performers.
Written for the London Sinfonietta Academy, July 2012 which is generously supported by Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, The Fenton Arts Trust, Musicians Benevolent Fund, the Harold Hyam Wingate Foundation, The Britten-Pears Foundation and Leo & Regina Hepner.
