Behind the Stars, a Dark Sky

About

When the piece was first proposed, Martinborough was applying for 'dark sky status'. The term means that the night skies above a region have been recognised as offering unusual clarity, as opposed to the light-polluted skies above most massed human dwelling-spaces. The concept of stars and the dark sky seemed to suit the medium of piano quintet so well that I immediately took that as the 'jumping-off point' for the piece. Although a piano quintet can be amalgamated into a surprisingly cohesive whole, the contrast between the fundamentally percussive piano and the long notes of string instruments is still practically omnipresent. It might seem overly poetic to draw comparisons between the contrast of the piano and strings with the contrast of stars and darkness, but it presented a wonderful starting point, and still provided ample space for the musical ideas to then express themselves relatively unfettered.