Christian Mason Eternity
in an hour
für Orchester for Orchestra
Partitur Score
Mietmaterial
Unverkäufliches
Christian Mason
Eternity in an hour
für Orchester for Orchestra
Partitur Score
Printed in Germany
Christian Mason | Eternity in an hour
Kompositionsauftrag der Wiener Philharmoniker, finanziert durch die Ernst von Siemens Musikstiftung Commissioned by Wiener Philharmoniker, funded by the Ernst von Siemens Musikstiftung
Contents
I 1
II Existential Interlude 1: ‘It is what it is…’ 6 III 7
IV Existential Interlude 2: ‘…at the end of the day’ 28
V Aria: ’the omnipotent God’ 32
Orchestra
2 Flutes [2nd doubling Piccolo]
2 Oboes
2 Clarinets in Bb
2 Bassoons
4 Horns
2 Trumpets* [1st doubling Piccolo Trumpet in Bb]
3 Trombones**
1 Tuba Timpani Celeste
Strings [desks: 8.7.6.5.4.]
* with straight mute, harmon mute, cup mute
** with straight mute, harmon mute
Score in C with the usual octave transpositions.
Duration approx. 16 minutes
World Premiere
Wiener Philharmoniker, conducted by Christian Thielemann Vienna, Musikverein, 27/04/2019
Subsequent performances: Vienna, Musikverein, 28/04/2019 Berlin, Dom, 02/05/2019
Performance Notes
Clarinets: ‘timbre trills’ (e.g. Movement III bar 29, 33) are between different versions of the same (or similar) pitch as represented by the ‘+’ and ‘o’ symbols.
Brass: ‘air noise: like wind through trees’ (e.g. Movement III bar 29, 33, 47, 51): players should improvise shifting vowel sounds to create the impression of wind.
Viola and Cello: ‘Like imaginary bird song’ (e.g. cello Movement I bar 3–4, 11–12 and viola/cello Movement V bar 94–97): using the given motivic fragments players should improvise on natural harmonics, unsynchronised and with different/flexible tempi to create the momentary impression of a chorus of birds.
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Very slow, contemplative, serene, sonorous A
2 Flutes
2 Oboes
2 Clarinets in Bb
2 Bassoons
4 Horns
2 Trumpets
3 Trombones Tuba Celesta Timpani
Violin I [8 desks]
Violin II [7 desks]
Viola [6 desks]
Violoncello [5 desks]
Contrabass [4 desks] q = 40
Very slow, contemplative, serene, sonorous
Unverkäufliches Mietmaterial © 2019 by Breitkopf & Härtel, Wiesbaden Weitervermietung und Vervielfältigung jeglicher Art sind verboten! Printed in Germany Einzeichnungen sind nur mit weichem Bleistift gestattet. Wir sind in anderen Fällen genötigt, Schadenersatz zu verlangen. Alterations, cuts or markings only with pencil. Otherwise we will claim damage compensation in addition to the rental fee.
Christian Mason, 2019
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Christian Mason
Eternity in an hour (2019)
Programm Note
Eternity in an hour is the second part of my orchestral cycle Time and Eternity. As the title (taken from a line in William Blake’s Auguries of Innocence) implies I am interested in the paradoxical possibility that ‘eternity’ – an extraordinary state of ‘non-time’ – could exist, might sometimes suddenly appear, within the flow of time which defines our normal experience of being alive. I think that is what William Blake is getting at when he says:
To see a World in a Grain of Sand And a Heaven in a Wild Flower Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand And Eternity in an hour
Each line conveys immensity contained within the minuscule, the emergence of the remarkable from the ordinary, the transcendence of the quotidian: the potential ecstasy of a shift in perception. Sometimes music can offer this too, but one can’t really deliberately put that into a piece of music. After all, any such perceptual shift depends more, I think, upon the state of the experiencer than the inherent qualities of the object of experience. It might happen, it might not. Like seeing a Kingfisher when you take a walk by the river. You just have to be in the right place at the right time, and keep your eyes (and ears) open. Good luck!
The other aspect of this piece is more existential, maybe a little less optimistic too. The other side of the coin I suppose. For some time i’ve been collaborating with writer Chris Goode on a possible future opera. In June 2017 we had some initial workshops, and though we decided not to take that material any further at the time (we’ve started again from scratch this year), some of the scenes have been stuck in my head ever since. The chorus ‘At the end of the day’ has become movements II and IV, while the soprano aria ‘The omnipotent God’ has become movement V. Though the new orchestrations are without singers, the ghosts of the words still hover behind the music.
So it’s worth knowing that the words from which these pieces grew were not made up, they were extracted and edited from interviews with ‘real people’ about their thoughts and feelings, their hopes, dreams and fears.
(Christian Mason, 2019)
At the end of the day [source text for movements II and IV] it is what it is at the end of the day it is what it is and there’s just no changing it unless God can change them angry’s not going to change it
Who am I going to be angry at? At the end of the day who?
The omnipotent God [source text for movement V]
all the stuff they tell you at school I mean the thing about the omnipotent God the one that watches you whatever you do I had in my mind translated um as a child into that there is kind of people with cameras in in the walls everywhere and that you’re constantly sort of on record and constantly on film.
By the time I I was a teenager, I found that quite oppressive! I think that was the thing that really made me question it. You know, is this really Constantly feeling sc-...
Under scrutiny as it were.
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