Sunday Afternoon on Radcliffe Square (2006)
Solo Piano and Large Ensemble with Conductor, 6'
The beautiful Radcliffe Square in Oxford, home to many of the city's most awe-inspiring buildings, including the Radcliffe Camera, is one of several central points between a number of university colleges. At various points throughout the week, including late on Sunday afternoon, the college bell ringers take the opportunity to practise, and the sounds of the different chimes mingle to create an amazingly rich montage of sonority and harmony. The bells in this piece do attempt to mimic the precise sounds one can hear in Oxford on such an occasion, but also aim to evoke the effect within an integrated musical context.
The piece received its world premiere at the Spitalfields Festival in June 2006, performed by the members of COMA London at Christ Church, Spitalfields.