On Thursday 1 December Edward Gregson’s new work for solo violin, Triptych, will be premiered at the Royal Northern College of Music International Violin Competition in Manchester. It has been commissioned as the test piece for the semi final stage where the last eight competitors will perform it for a place in the concerto final. All of the original 30 competitors selected have to learn it.
The composer writes
“Competition pieces are always something of a dilemma for a composer. If you are not careful, the need to set an exacting technical test tends to predominate one’s thinking. Therefore, to avoid this, I have attempted to create a work that is as much of a musical challenge as a technical one.
I have structured Triptych in three compact movements (hence the title), each of which has its own musical characterisation. The movements are unified through the common reference to Greek/Roman mythological sources in their individual titles (A Dionysian Dialogue. Song to Aphrodite. A Celtic Bacchanal), which in turn give a clue as to their character.”
The work is published by Novello