The Orator (opus 84 nr 1)

Programme notes

This virtuosic concert study features the solo violin in a dramatic dual role, impersonating both the orator and the electoral crowd. The opening whirl of scales immediately establishes the scene, simultaneously representing the orator's inner awe before the address and the indistinct, building noise of the thousands of waiting people. As the music progresses, the crowd swells and surges, becoming audibly impatient.Finally, the orator clears their throat, and the dynamic dialogue between speaker and listeners begins. The speaker's delivery (portrayed by the violin's changing figures) cycles through phases that are emphatic, eloquent, rhetorical, calm, and optimistic. The listeners (the crowd) respond by forcefully hammering a two-measure slogan of two crotchets followed by two quavers, expressing moods that are, in turn, gloomy, threatening, defiant, persistent, enthusiastic, and impassioned. The piece culminates as both the orator and the crowd unite in a unanimous, final statement of their slogan.

Handwritten sketches and drafts

to be found on page 356 of the red cover, A4 size, 377 pages sketchbook and see the yellow cover logbook #4