Shining Dawn

Composed for String Orchestra and Harp, Shining Dawn was commissioned by the North Wales International Music Festival in 2021 to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Festival.

The piece takes inspiration from the natural world that surrounds St Asaph where the festival takes place each year. In particular the beautiful North Wales coastline which can be viewed from numerous lofty hilltops and mountains.

This visual idea immediately sparked off the initial musical ideas as to how I could musically represent this shimmering quality in the piece.

Firstly, an oscillating arpeggio pattern for the strings which forms the basis of the opening and ending passages, and an accompanying figure in the central section. These arpeggiated patterns are specifically designed for each instrument so that the players’ hands can perform the notes as a broken chord to give a shimmering sonic effect. I am fascinated by harmony and the extra colours that can be achieved by layering chords on top of each other to create complex textures.

From within these harmonic patterns I crafted a melodic idea using the notes from some of the arpeggiated patterns. This motif begins in the violins and it governs the development and flow of the piece, later being passed to the cellos and violas before returning to the violins. The melody continuously soars above the lush harmonic landscape developing in the rest of the orchestra before fading away as the moment passes. 

Shining Dawn is conceived as the opening to a larger soundscape and I intend to develop it further in the future. I am very grateful to the NWIMF for their continuing support of my music.