All that Remains (2014)
(for orchestra)

All that remains (2014)
for orchestra

All that remains is a sonic memorial for orchestra made to mark the centenary of the outbreak of the Great War.

The memorial is constructed in four panels, each textured with flute, horn, harp and string harmonics. Buried beneath the panels is the sound of breath, which intermittently bleeds through the gaps between the panels.

At the end of the fourth panel, three oboes and cor anglais inscribe the names of four British soldiers who served in the trenches: the poet Wilfred Owen (1893-1918), the writer Saki (1870-1916), the composer George Butterworth (1885-1916) and the poet and composer Ivor Gurney (1890-1937).

Premiered by the National Orchestra of Belgium, conducted by Hugh Wolff, on 19 October 2014, at the Bozar Centre for Fine Arts in Brussels.

Julian Philips, 2023