Music Finland Core

* Title

Additional title

Description

This piece was written as a collaboration with the saxophonist Rachel Parry-Ridout. We were both really keen in producing something that we would have both worked on, and although it is ultimately the composer’s responsibility to go away and come back with a finished piece, I wanted for our discussions and joint discoveries to feed into the compositional process. Also, I very much wanted to write a piece for Rachel in particular. And on day, the idea for the staging and layout of the piece came on a platter in a discussion we were having about how saxophonists are often requested to double with both the clarinet and the flute. As Rachel has a lot of experience with this, it wasn’t long before my imagination was putting together a scheme, involving instruments suspended in mid-air from the ceiling and a bucket of water. The structuring of such a piece was very clear to me from the start. I had been preoccupied for some time with the concept of musical schicksal (destiny). A musical object or idea develops and transforms through time, and inevitably reaches (because every piece has to have an end) a goal of some kind, whether fulfilling or not – this could be a final permutation of a musical cell, the final iteration of a motive or as in this piece, the fulfillment of timbral imitation. Suspended destinies suspended has four goals, or destinies, in total. The first is the idea of a perfect saxophone note, which is what all saxophonists strive for. The second goal is a perfect clarinet note – it is still very close to the saxophone sound, and so doesn’t interfere too severely with the first goal. The third goal is a perfect flute note. Although there are some similarities in the higher register between the sounds of the saxophone and the flute, this step creates tension with the first goal, which is why the music gets more agitated at this stage. Finally, the sound seeks to transform towards the fourth and furthest goal, the sound of bubbling water. This connection with natural sound creates the biggest tension of all between the various goals, and so the piece collapses.- Lauri Supponen -

Year of composing

Arranger

Movements

Availability

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

suspended destinies suspended