Nightscape (1993)

The Horniman Serenade

Date of composition: 1993; Duration: 21’00; Commissioning body: The Horniman Museum/London Mozart Players; Premiere performance: 29 September 1993, The Horniman Museum, UK; Premiere performers: Eleanor Alberga/London Mozart Players; Publisher: Eleanor Alberga

Request Hire | Watch on YouTube (Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields/Eleanor Alberga)

Eleanor writes:

“At the time of the commission I was shown around the Horniman’s fabulous collection of wind instruments from all over the world and somewhat in response, I decided to write a piece for the same line up as Mozart’s “Gran Partita” - but tilted towards a rather different sound world. The result is a 4-movement Serenade of the sounds, atmosphere, memories and folklore of a Jamaican evening and night. The four movements are titled:

1. Sundown

2. Cicadas, tree-frogs, crickets, party-goers, geckos, dogs, burglars and other nocturnal creatures

3. Into the arms of Morpheus?

4. Br’er Fox and the Dancing Ghosts

Instrumentation:

2Ob 2Cl(ebcl) 2Bsthn 2Bsn 4Hn Db