Rigaudon (2011)
string orchestra (5’)

This short showpiece borrows material from an example of the dance of the same name from Act 3 of Jean-Philippe Rameau’s first opera Hippolyte et Aricie (1733). The propulsive duple meter of the original is maintained throughout by the cellos in fractured, constantly shifting rhythmic patterns. Over this the other strings weave wave-like layers of sound, with motivic allusions to the Rameau occasionally poking through, only to be re-submerged into the texture. In short, the sturdy solidity of the original dance has been liquefied, exploded into shimmering webs of string resonance.

First performed at the Duke’s Hall, Royal Academy of Music by the RAM String Ensemble on 16th March 2011