Beamish: Viola Concerto No. 2 ("The Seafarer")
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- Composer: Sally Beamish (1956-)
- Instrumentation (this edition): Piano Reduction, Viola
- Originally for: Viola, Orchestra
- Work: The Seafarer (Viola Concerto No. 2) (2001)
Description
Instrumentation:
- 2 Flutes (2nd doubling piccolo)
- 2 Oboes
- 2 Clarinets in Bb (2nd doubling bass clarinet)
- 2 Bassoons (2nd doubling contrabassoon)
- 2 Horns in F
- 2 Trumpets in C
- Timpani
- 1 Percussion (Sus. Cym, S.D., Tom-toms Szl. Cym, Rain stick, Temple blocks, Tub. Bells, Tam-tam, Tri., B.D., Crotales, Maracas, Mark tree, Xyl.)
- Solo viola
- Strings
I first came across the 9th century Anglo-Saxon poem The Seafarer, when artist Jila Peacock sent me a new translation by Charles Harrison Wallace, whose Scottish and Swedish ancestry has led to a very Nordic take on the poem, using words which resonate in both Scandinavian/North Scottish languages, and reflecting a Nordic view of life's journey, using the metaphor of a sea voyage that comes to rest in "Heaven's haven". I was struck by its vivid imagery and wrote a short piece for solo violin inspired by the text.
In 2000 I was asked by the "Summer on the Peninsula" Festival to make a setting of the poem for narrator and piano trio with Jila's Seafarer prints projected as part of the work, and in so doing I began to hear more orchestral textures and to want to explore the material further. The Viola Concerto is the third part in my "Seafarer" Trilogy and is in three movements.
The first suggests wave shapes, seabirds, and ideas of conflict and exploration.
The second is based on a two-note motif first heard on the bassoon. The music is mocking and ironic in character, with a fragile and transient middle section - the half-heard cries of banshee-like spirits.
The last movement is essentially a set of cadenzas exploring material from the first two movements, set against a gentle string refrain and resolving into a simple hymn-like passage which ends the concerto.
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A score for vocalists that only contains the vocal lines. The instrumental parts are not there for reference. Generally, cheaper than a vocal score and requires multiple copies for purchase.
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A small (think choral size) copy of the complete score meant for studying, and not playing. They make great add-ons when learning concertos and small chamber works.
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Beamish: Viola Concerto No. 2 ("The Seafarer")
