Product Description
Raphael Mak
2 Nocturnes (op. 2 and 8)
for symphonic orchestra
Orchestration
Op.2: 1121/1111/Timp/Xyl/Strings
Op.8: 2222/3221/Timp/Triangle/Harp/Strings
I love tranquillity: the tranquillity of the night, the tranquillity of nature, the
tranquillity of the countryside. Thus over the years I wrote nocturnes not necessarily
"music of the night" as the term suggests, but in fact an expression of this tranquillity.
I chose to write nocturnes for the symphony orchestra since the variety of timbre suits
the expression better than piano alone does. To date I have written two nocturnes, one
in December 2006 and one from March to April 2008, and I am currently writing one
more.
The first nocturne, in C minor, is inspired by the night scene of my secondary school,
during a time when I was accustomed to stay at school till late, after the sun has set.
The piece is based on a single repeating theme, first played by the xylophone and
accompanied by pizzicato strings. More and more instruments join in as the theme
increases in grandeur. After the music reaches a climax, it gradually fades out until
there is only the xylophone alone, echoing a motif from the theme before it, too, fades
out.
The second nocturne, in E minor, is inspired by the beauty of the hills on Hong Kong
Island, where I live. This was at a time soon after I started running, and partly due to
the fact that the inter-school cross country running competitions were held at the
reservoir at Aberdeen, I was obsessed with walking / running between my school at
Wan Chai and Aberdeen, using the paved road through Wan Chai Gap, ascending
steep inclines and through dense woodlands as I go. The tranquillity and beauty of the
hills simply cannot be expressed in words. The nocturne is in tertiary form. After a
short introduction the theme is played by the oboe. The arpeggios of the harp are
important in shaping the tranquillity of the music. The music elaborates itself until a
transition leads to the second section in B minor. The theme in the second section is
repeated in a fast flowing manner. The music transits back to the first section, and
fades out.
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