Music Finland Core

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I hesitate to describe Nuit blanche as a concerto in the commonly accepted sense of the term. It was composed in 2004 as a test piece for a violin competition, in which the soloist would be made to display as many facets of his or her musicality as possible within a relatively short time frame. As such, I felt had to dispense with symphonic argument in favor of a more concise form, and the piece more closely resembles a morceau de concert in the style of the 19th century, with two sections of opposing character, one slow and lyrical, the other fast, rhythmically charged, and more bravura in nature. Though I later expanded the piece from its original version, it retains this two-part structure, albeit in a more fully developed form. The French title refers both to its figurative meaning, "passer une nuit blanche", or to go without sleep for a night and, more literally, to the Nordic phenomenon of white nights in the summer, and their accompanying state of wakefulness. The piece is a twofold rhapsody on the themes of night and insomnia, both in the hushed atmosphere of much of the music, and the obsessive, repetitive way the thematic materials are treated, like a sleepless mind unable to let go of an idea. The violin is foregrounded for most of the span of the work, leaping out of the initial bell chord and introducing the material from which most of the subsequent music arises. After this prologue, a gentle but restless nocturne follows, which for me carries impressions of the bright, glowing sky of Nordic summer nights. The solo violin ruminates quietly, backlit by a canopy of strings punctuated by harp, tuned percussion and woodwinds. The mood changes intensity abruptly as the violin shifts focus in a short soliloquy, and the orchestra responds by launching into a series of dances that are by turn hectic, quirky and exalted, always returning to the same droning, obsessive music. Throughout these darker reprises, the violin is stalked relentlessly by various sections of the orchestra, trying to copy it, drown it out, or leaping out to attack it. Over the course of this faster section, the music is gradually pared down to its essentials, leaving a simple melody accompanied by flutes and vibraphone. In a sudden move back to the claustrophobic mood of the first dance, the soloist whips the orchestra into a collective frenzy, piling one thematic idea on top of another, and is left to untie the various threads in the following cadenza. In the end, having finally found rest or, perhaps, simply having exhausted itself, the violin vanishes skyward into the opening bell sound.© Matthew Whittall

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Abbreviation	Instrument
Woodwind
acl	alto clarinet
afl	alto flute
arec	alto recorder
asax	alto saxophone
barsax	baritone saxophone
barhn	baritone horn
bcl	bass clarinet
bfl	bass flute
bob	bass oboe
bsax	bass saxophone
bsn	bassoon
cbsn	contrabassoon
cl	clarinet
ehn	English horn
fl	flute
hn	French horn
ob	oboe
pic	piccolo
rec	recorder
sax	saxophone
srec	soprano recorder
ssax	soprano saxophone
trec	tenor recorder
tsax	tenor saxophone
Brass
ahn	alto horn
atrb	altotrombone
barhn	baritone horn
btrb	bass trombone
cornet	cornet
euph	euphonium
fhn	flugelhorn
hn	French horn
tba	tuuba
thn	tenor horn
trb	trombone
trp	trumpet
Percussion
dr	drums
glock	glockenspiel
mar	marimba
perc	percussion
timp	timpani
vibr	vibraphone
xyl	xylophone
Strings
db	double bass
gamba	viola da gamba
str	strings
vla	viola
vlc	cello
vln	violin
Other
acc	accordion
cel	celesta
cemb	harpsichord
chords	chords
elbas	electric bass
elg	electric guitar
elorg	electric organ
elpno	electric piano
guit	guitar
harm	harmonium
hca	harmonica
hp	harp
instr	instrument
kantele	kantele
keyb	keyboard
live electr	live electronics
mand	mandolin
mel	melody
org	organ
pno	piano
synth	synthesizer
tape	tape
Vocal
alto	alto
baryt	baritone
basso	bass voice
ch	choir
chc	childrens choir
chf	female choir
chm	male choir
chx	mixed choir
cten	countertenor
mezzo	mezzo-soprano
sopr	soprano
speaker	speaker
ten	tenor
voc	vocal

Symphony orchestra
2222 4331 11 1, str = 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 French horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, one other percussionist, harp and strings
Wind band
2252 3 423 21212 3 = 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 5 clarinets, 2 bassoons - 3 saxophones - 4 French horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones - 2 cornets, alto horn, 2 tenor horns, baritone horn, 2 tubas - 3 percussionists
Big band
221 4 4, pno, guit, db, dr = 2 alto saxophones, 2 tenor saxophones, baritone saxophone, 4 trumpets, 4 trombones, piano, guitar, double bass, drums
Additional codes
+	fl+pic = flutist doubles on piccolo
/	pno/org = can be played on either piano or organ
lib	ad libitum
obl	obligato
str	str: 65432 = specified number of string players
str min	str min: 65432 = at least 65432
str max	str max: 65432 = not more than 65432
solo	vln solo = violin is the solo instrument in a work not obviously for solo violin