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Thomas Adès's Dawn–a Flexible Work for the COVID Era–Premiered at the 2020 BBC Proms

Sep. 18, 2020

Thomas Adès's <em>Dawn</em>–a Flexible Work for the COVID Era–Premiered at the 2020 BBC Proms

Thomas Adès's Dawn – Chacony for orchestra at any distance was premiered by the London Symphony Orchestra and Simon Rattle on August 30 at the Royal Albert Hall. The 7-minute work – the latest in a number of chaconnes which feature across Adès’ output – was broadcast live on both BBC Radio 3 and BBC Four. Full details of the Prom can be found here

‘In this piece the sunrise is imagined as a constant event that moves continuously around the world’ writes the composer. ‘This eternal dawn is presented as a "chacony" - in the word that Purcell used some 330 years ago, a mile or two away.’

Due to uncertainty around the number of players permitted at the time of performance, Dawn is designed to work with an orchestra of flexible size, and with the players placed around the hall in any way. The minimum instrumentation is as follows:

 2.2.2.2.cbsn – 2.2(or fl.hn).2.1 – timp – perc(3): vib, bell, 4 gongs – cimbalom (ossia upright piano) – harp – pno – strings (db require low C extension)

More details about the work, and the score, can be found here.

Listen to Thomas Adès's Violin Concerto "Concentric Paths" (2005) here:

(Violin Concerto "Concentric Paths/Thomas Adès/Anthony Maarwood, violin/
Kölner Philharmonie/Thomas Adès, conductor)

For more information on Thomas Adès, visit: fabermusic.com.

Thomas Adès
Dawn – Chacony for orchestra at any distance (2020)
2.2.2(in A, ossia cl in Bb).2.cbsn – 2.2(or fl.hn).2.1 – timp – 3perc: vib, bell, 4 gongs – cimbalom (ossia upright pno)-hp-pno-str(db require low C extension) Ideal instrumentation: 3*.3*.3*.3 – 4*.3*.3*.1-timp-3perc– cimbalom or upright pno– hp-pno-str(*or more)
7'

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