‘for Lora Dimitrova’ (25 mins)
Theme, Andante
L’anse de Paimpol, à l’aube
Côte d’Emeraude
Jour de marché
Sillon de Talbert, à la tombée du jour
Cortège folklorique à Carnac
Les pierres sonnantes
Château du Guildo, le soir
Jour de fête Celte à Lorient
Scenes for piano 4 was composed for the Bulgarian pianist Lora Dimitrova. It is a sequence of impressions forming a suite of eight movements, of which V is the slow movement, whose decorated melody is a lyrical development of the theme heard at the opening. It is constructed like an embellished Bach chorale, starting with a quiet introduction, suggesting an organ, as a background to the leisurely unfolding sweep of melody, matching in its broad outline the panoramic contours of the sea, dramatic in the evening light, as it faces the Sillon de Talbert – a narrow strip of land jutting out into the Atlantic ocean. The concluding movement, Jour de Fête, is a joyous Breton folk festival, with the revels of the fairground led by the musicians with raucous shawms and binious.
A full performance is available for download and on CD.
First performance 14 May 1999 Hatchlands Park, Surrey by Lora Dimitrova
Score ISMN M 708045 77 9
Listen to a sound sample (10′ 30″)
Lora Dimitrova (Piano)
V Sillon de Talbert, à la tombée du jour Largo 6’ 15”
VIII Jour de fête Celte à Lorient Vivace 4’ 15”