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Additional Information
Orbit was originally written in 1976 and was considerably revised in 2012. Although the original was given a performance, I considered that some of the notation and extended techniques, especially for the strings, were impractical. The original version was for clarinet, violin, cello and piano and, in the revision, I have added parts for two percussion players.
Orbit is in one continuous movement and lasts around six and a half minutes. Percussion begin the piece, representing our background noise, then the strings gradually enter, initially gliding around just three notes (clarinet holding one of these). It is as though the music is struggling to get started. However, the sounds gradually expand, with the piano adding single staccato notes, and fragments of melody and rhythm are heard.
The piano then introduces its own harmonies in the high register, which later become a more extended theme for piano solo and interjections from other instruments. After a tutti section, the violin plays a solo cadenza, during which the other instruments gradually enter in turn, building to a major climax.
With the sound of the climax dying away, sounds from the opening start to emerge, with a few variants of other themes superimposed. The work ends with tom-toms and cello harmonics, suggesting that the music returns to the background noise with which it began. The music can then be said to have undergone a complete cycle, hence the title – ‘Orbit’.