Work
Rothko Variations
for orchestra
Borrow/Hire:
To borrow items or hire parts please email SOUNZ directly at info@sounz.org.nz.
About
When one views the work of Mark Rothko (1903-70) one is struck first by the emotional impact of these monumental paintings and then by their similarity - all pictures seem to be variations of one another - variations without a theme, for there are no recognisable objects or motives, just colours, areas and proportions.
My Rothko Variations then are conceived in this sense, not in the traditional musical variation form, but as a series of pieces without themes, containing only orchestral colours and shapes.
In order to put these four “Variations” into a wider perspective I have separated them with three Interludes whose style contrasts strongly with the main material: where the “Variations” are slow and dense, the Interludes are faster and lighter.
What we hear then is:
Variation 1, Interlude 1, Variation 2, Interlude 2, Variation 3, Interlude 3, Variation 4
Performance history
15 Nov 2005: Performed in a rehearsed reading by the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra conducted by Hamish McKeich as part of the NZSO-SOUNZ Readings
Performed by the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra with conductor Kenneth Young at Michael Fowler Centre, in Wellington