Juno (2005)

When beginning this piece I was also working on a flute concerto entitled Callisto, which follows Ovid’s tale of metamorphosis. I represented Juno, the jealous wife of Callisto’s seducer, Jove, with the trumpet, and became more and more interested in the material for Juno – so much so that the trumpet began to take on almost a concertante role in the flute concerto.

In the end I curtailed Juno’s presence in the concerto, and transferred her to this smaller piece for trumpet and organ, where she could rant and spit in a more contained space.

Juno was commissioned by Barry Millington and Deborah Calland with support from the Scottish Arts Council, RVW Trust and Britten-Pears Foundation. It was first performed at the Chelsea Arts Festival by Deborah Calland and Thomas Corns in June 2005.