Celebrating RTÉ lyric fm’s 10th Birthday Make A
Wish is inspired by the custom of making a wish when you blow out the
candles on a birthday cake. Traditionally the birthday person makes one private
wish, which will come true if all the candles are extinguished in a single
breath. This hope or desire is associated with seeing a shooting star or
tossing a coin into a wishing well.
The history of placing candles on the cake can be traced to Kinderfest, an
18th century German birthday celebration for children. A letter by
Goethe recounts: "...when it was time for dessert, the prince's entire
livery...carried a generous-size torte with colourful flaming candles that
began to melt and threatened to burn down..." The tradition was to place
candles, symbolic of the passage of time, for each of the individual's life
with some added candles anticipating years to come.
A brief unison trio of bass clarinet and two bassoons heard near the start
provides the key material for the work. Pizzicato strings, sustained brass,
columns of hopping wind and restless percussion precedes this trio's statement,
which then kicks the orchestra into motion, as it weaves in and out of the
rhythmical interplay between the orchestral families.
The first wish sounds: full orchestra, clattering metal percussion, then fades.
The strings explore an isorhythmic fragment of already heard material before
leading to a waltz, with winds carrying the tune.
The second wish sounds: now shorter, with a different rhythmic emphasis, then
fades away. Solo instruments highlighting harp and vibraphone underline a
quietly soaring violin melody.
The final wish sounds: shorter again, more direct, then fades away as each
player holds their last note as long as they can, the music extinguishing with
the final players breath.
Make A Wish was recently performed at the RTÉ Horizons series
where Elaine was a featured composer. Later this year a CD of all
Elaine’s orchestral works will be released on the lyric fm label featuring the
RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra and conductor Gavin Maloney as part of the
Composers of Ireland series, funded by RTÉ and The Arts Council of
Ireland.
Andrew Johnstone, Irish Times:
“The third of this year’s RTÉ Horizons concerts
generated a memorably bright and upbeat atmosphere. The selection of
contemporary works by featured composer Elaine Agnew took in some challenging
enough listening but what made it especially engaging was the range of colour
and the zestful delivery.
Elena Kats-Chernin has become Agnew’s guiding spirit in
recent years, and that might partly explain the eclectic approachability
of Make a Wish, which Agnew composed last year to mark the 10th
anniversary of RTÉ Lyric FM. This work may be predicated on
innocent thoughts of birthday cake, but more complex elements emerge from the
systematic tonal language, the well-proportioned melodies and figurations, and
the effective, economical orchestration.” |
