C11 Bath Festival Orchestra

Bath Festival Orchestra
Peter Manning, conductor
Maren Bosma, leader

Takemitsu – Toward the Sea (1981) (JP)
Daniel Temkin – Ocean’s Call (2018) (US)
Grace Williams – Sea Sketches (1944) (UK)
Joey Roukens – Visions at Sea (2016) (NL)

An ocean-bound journey: four countries – all separated by water – bring forth a composer each, with four different sea-inspired musical pieces. The journey starts in Japan, with the rather well-known composer Toru Takemitsu and his work Toward the Sea (1981). This work was commissioned by Greenpeace for the Save the Whales campaign. The work, which exists in three different versions, is divided in three parts which are titled after Melville’s Moby Dick, or The Whale and serves as a homage to the sea. From Japan we travel across the Pacific Ocean to the United States, where the upcoming composer Daniel Temkin uses the rugged energy and, at the same time, tranquility of the Pacific Ocean as an inspiration for Ocean’s Call, which premiered as recently as 2018. Next we cross the Atlantic Ocean, to arrive in the UK; home of 20th Century composer Grace Williams. Another homage to the sea, her work Sea Sketches is one of her most performed pieces. In five movements for strings she depicts various moods of the sea, the love of which led her to move out of London to the Welsh town of Barry – all so she could be closer to the sea. The final destination is found across the North Sea: The Netherlands – a country well known for its long-standing relationship with the sea. Dutch composer Joey Roukens originally wrote Visions at Sea for string quartet, after which a version for string orchestra came about, commissioned by Amsterdam Sinfonietta in 2016. After a journey full of musical ocean storms, gentle floating, sailing and singing, the last few ethereal harmonies of the programme lead us safely ashore.

Generously supported by Edward Horesh