HALO

for symphony orchestra
2010

Orchestra: 2(2dbl. alto),picc.,2,C.A.,2,BCl. In Bb,2,C-bs.;4,3(3dbl. Cornet in Bb),3,1;Timp.,2perc.,Hp.,P-no;strings

Commission: London Symphony Orchestra / Helen Hamlyn Trust

Duration: 10 minutes

Premiere: 13 March 2011, Barbican Hall, London Symphony Orchestra, conductor: Clemens Schuldt

The title refers to the circular band of coloured light around a light source. It's geometric perfection, ethereal quality and chromatic instability are what the music alludes to, while the inner structure explores symmetry on a conceptual level.

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"From the opening chord, which felt like a sharp burst of light - similar to the sensation one feels when they first emerge out of a dark room - to the pulsating sensations created with the use of timpani and flexatone, the audience felt the emergence of light." bachtrack.com