Cimmerian Nocturne

Cimmerian Nocturne was commissioned by The Fires of London and composed in 1979. It was the first piece of mine to bring together a number of ideas that have remained significant for me ever since. One of the most important of these is the use of a literary work as a source of inspiration. In the case of this particular piece, it was Joseph Conrad’s novella Heart of Darkness. Not only does the book inform the brooding atmosphere and violence of the nocturne, but also more importantly its formal design, which consists of a journey to a central point (the heart of darkness) and back. In Cimmerian Nocturne this is translated into the gradual creation of a moto perpetuo which reaches its apogee in the central drum break, and its subsequent braking. This takes place principally within the percussion part and secondarily within the piano. While the moto perpetuo is being created there is a long cantus on bass clarinet, then B-flat and E-flat clarinets, which is paralleled after the moto perpetuo brakes by a long cantus on alto flute, then flute and piccolo, which brings the work full circle back to the opening piccolo screams.

The adjective “Cimmerian” derives from the Greek word “kimmerios”, which refers to the people of Cimmerii, who were fabled as dwelling in perpetual night. The dictionary definition of nocturne is “a dreamy musical piece”. The title of this work is meant to suggest a nocturne rather different from the salon variety.

Cimmerian Nocturne was premiered on 21 June 1980 by The Fires of London conducted by Peter Maxwell Davies at the St Magnus Festival, Orkney.

Philip Grange