John Psathas – Luminous Orchestra PEF056: Facsimile study score

Luminous was one of the ‘Century Fanfares’ commissioned by the Auckland Philharmonia from ten New Zealand composers in 1998. The composer writes: ‘When I was invited to write a fanfare for the new millennium I inevitably found myself considering the last one thousand years. For me, the single most striking feature of human history during the last millennium has been the increase in travel and the settling in foreign lands of smaller and smaller groups. In the distant past, an entire race of people would slowly traverse one continent. Today, an individual, in the space of a few days, is able to completely uproot from their homeland and settle in a country on the other side of the world. ‘A friend of mine, Pan, moved to New Zealand from China. For her, the pressure to integrate two very different sets of beliefs proved ultimately overwhelming. This work is dedicated to her memory.’ The reviewer at the first performance wrote: ‘this is music suspended in space, existing for its texture only. It locks a continuous event in stillness by eliminating attack and abrupt change…. Rhythm and melody are eliminated and replaced by long and sustained chord shifts achieved through clever dovetailing of single notes, tone colours and dynamics.’

Recent publications in this series

John Psathas Djinn Marimba & Orchestra ISMN | Code F/JP/DJ | Facsimile study score Publication Date 2009 | Publication Format Softback score Christos Hatzis Mirage? Solo Percussion & String Orchestra ISMN | Code F/CH/MI | Facsimile study score Publication Date 2009 | Publication Format Softback score Christos Hatzis Arabesque Solo Violin, Piano & String Orchestra ISMN | Code F/CH/AQ | Facsimile study score Publication Date 2009 | Publication Format Softback score John Psathas Abhisheka: String Orchestra String orchestra ISMN | Code F/JP/AB | Facsimile study score Publication Date 2008 | Publication Format Softback score Gareth Farr This Last Pace Orchestra ISMN | Code F/GF/TL | Facsimile study score Publication Date 2007 | Publication Format Softback score