Intrada e fuga (2015)

This piece was written in response to a request from Fenella Humphreys for a work relating in some way to Bach’s Sonata for unaccompanied violin in A minor.

I had been listening to the Hardanger fiddle playing of Nils Økland, and as the piece would receive its premiere in Orkney, in the Norwegian-built St Magnus Cathedral, this seemed a perfect connection.

The Intrada uses elements of traditional Norwegian ornamentation, and also plays on the acoustics of the cathedral, which I know well, after years of happy association with the St Magnus Festival.

The Fuga is directly related to the Bach Fuga, using the same time signature at the outset, and similar motifs. I wanted to set myself a compositional challenge, and chose a 3-voice fugue, as Bach did, using inversion, augmentation, and other fugal devices. After a virtuosic climax, the music of the Intrada returns, fading into the silence from which it emerged. This last statement of the opening theme is in retrograde – i.e. played backwards.

Intrada e Fuga was commissioned by Fenella Humphreys with funds from:

• PRS for Music Foundation
• RVW Trust
• Fidelio Trust
• Nicholas Boas Charitable Trust
• Ambache Trust
• Arts Council England
• The general public through private donations and Kickstarter