Indian Summer (2006)
Guitar, 6'
The theme, written several months before the variations, was composed on a beautifully sunny, crisp afternoon in October 2005 - it was this which inspired the title. The variations followed the following January, and each follows the harmonic and melodic scheme of the theme very closely. The first variation is a nimble study in line and involves some fast crossings of strings. The second is a slow, meditative piece, full of rubato, while the third and last alternates between a rapid, slightly Hispanic tremolando-based texture punctuated with chords, and more relaxed, contemplative material. The work ends with a brief recollection of the theme, now ornamented, closing the work as peacefully as it began.
This work is dedicated to Antonis Hatzinikolaou, who gave the work its first performance on 13th March 2006 as part of a masterclass led by Sir Peter Maxwell Davies in the Royal Academy of Music.
Indian Summer is available on Music of Memory by NMC Recordings.