Shortening Days (2024)
(for Violin and Orchestra)

In Shortening Days, the violin soloist moves between two distinct types of music. Initially, I thought of these as “song music” and “dance music,” but they soon revealed themselves as “night music” and “day music.” These are not opposites but rather two sides of the same coin. At night, when darkness falls, we hear all the orchestral sounds that were hidden amidst the clamor of the day: a solitary slide whistle, brass instruments playing with just the mouthpiece, delicate natural harmonics on the strings...

The day music is rhythmic, dance-like, and seemingly grounded in time. The soloist guides and shapes the orchestra in music I image unfolding like a progression from morning to evening. In contrast, the night music is freer, more lyrical, and seeks to evoke a sense of timelessness. Here, the soloist often drifts independently, floating against a largely unaffected backdrop.

The concerto is divided into six movements: three days and three nights (some played without pause). The sequence alternates day-night-day-night-day-night. The day movements gradually shorten, while the night movements grow progressively longer—hence the title of the work. The first movement is therefore a long day, while the last movement is a long night, giving the overall form of the piece the feeling of a gradual journey into darker times. Shortening Days is inspired by Janine Jansen’s extraordinary and expressive playing, and the concerto is dedicated to her.

Britta Byström, 2024