The Peacock Pavane by DAVID BRUCE
Description
The Pavane is a slow stately dance common in Europe since the Renaissance. There is some suggestion that the Spanish word pavón - meaning peacock - is the origin of the dance's name, but peacocks also have many different symbolic meanings, they can be seen as a symbol of beauty, self expression, royalty, luck, or new life (some see them as the earthly incarnation of the mythical phoenix). With it's spectacular tail-feathers full of eyes, the peacock is also a symbol of watchfulness and patience.
I like to think of The Peacock Pavane as a kind of 'dance from afar'. It was written at the height of the Covid pandemic amidst a time of watchfulness, patience, stoicism. I think the piece is mainly about waiting. It doesn't really go anywhere. Time continues, but it treads the same steps over and over.
During the pandemic many of us spent weeks and months away from loved ones, longing for that moment when we'll finally be able to reunite. That feeling was heightened for me in the September of 2020 when my daughter, my eldest child, left home to start her studies. During the previous 6 months of the lockdown we had all spent a lot of time together as a family and I had enjoyed more than ever the time spent with her, going for walks and chatting about the future. Then suddenly she was off, peacock-like, to start a new life and what was left behind was tender feelings of absence and longing.
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Miloš expresses his thanks to Michael Lewin for help in editing the performer's guitar part to deal with the scordatura.
Press / Latest Reviews
Bachtrack.com / Jan 2023 Dominic Lowe
The world premiere came courtesy of David Bruce. Guitarist Miloš Karadaglić joined the orchestra on stage for The Peacock Pavane. Both ‘Peacock’ and ‘Pavane’ are redolent with a stately magnificence and there was a certain beauty in Bruce’s writing with a tinge of melancholy that sharpened the piece. Particularly lovely was the noise of the violins at points behind the guitar, the sound swooping in a way that evoked birdcalls, while Miloš skipped lightly across the notes, his touch deft, but mild. ... the accomplished blend of woodwind in the backdrop against the guitar stood out. A rewarding listen, though, and one felt the emotional complexity. [https://bachtrack.com/es_ES/review-kamensek-milos-bruce-ortiz-london-philharmonic-january-2023] |
Details
for Guitar & Orchestra
2(II=picc),2,2(II=Bcl),2,2 hrns,2tps,timp,strings,solo Guitar
Duration c.10mins
Composed Sept-Dec 2020
First performance Miloš
& London Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Festival Hall, Fri 13 Jan 2023
Commissioned by London Philharmonic Orchestra
Past Performances
- Jan 13 2023
Royal Festival Hall, London (Milos, London Philharmonic Orchestra, cond.Karen Kamensek) (World Premiere)
- Jan 15 2023 (3pm)
Congress Theatre, Eastbourne (Milos, London Philharmonic Orchestra, cond.Karen Kamensek)
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