Tales of a Summer Sea for Orchestra (1977)

Commissioned by the Fromm Foundation, this piece was premiered at Tanglewood in August 1977 by the Berkshire Music Center orchestra under Gunther Schüller to whom the piece is dedicated.

Tales of a Summer Sea is a continuous, sixteen-minute orchestral seascape inspired by the atmosphere of Shakespeare’s The Tempest. The work originated from incidental music Jolas composed in 1962 for a television production, which she later reimagined and significantly expanded for a full symphonic orchestra.

The score is structured as a seamless series of "wave trains", successive sonic sequences that flow without a single moment of silence, mimicking the perpetual motion of the ocean. To achieve this fluid architecture, Jolas employs "pivot notes" that act as transitional platforms between each orchestral swell. This approach is deeply rooted in the legacy of Claude Debussy, particularly La Mer; Jolas has long been fascinated by the "apparent lack of structural framework" in Debussy’s work, favoring instead a profound study of movement.

The composer describes the piece as a "sea in the mind," aimed at making the maritime element omnipresent through sensory evocation rather than literal imitation. By transforming her original dramatic materials into an immersive, organic form, Jolas creates a work that balances Shakespearean mystery with a masterful exploration of orchestral fluidity.

© Betsy Jolas