Silk Execution
Original version: five trombones (3tntbn, 1bstbn 1cbstbn), three percussionists, harp and piano/harmonium
Version II:horn, 3 trombones, tuba, 3 percussion players, harp and piano
Duration: 13'
Year of composition: 1999-2013
Premiere original version: Rotterdam Biennal, Rotterdam Conservatory, Netherlands, Ensemble of the Rotterdam Conservatorium, conducted by Hans Leenders, October 19, 1999
Subsequent performance at the 2000 Gaudeamus Festival, August 31, Beurs van Berlage, Amsterdam, Holland Symfonia conducted by Fabrice Bollon.
Premiere of version II: Vancouver Symphony, Gordon Gerrard conductor, Orpheum Annex, Vancouver, Canada, 20 April 2013
Dedicated to Peter-Jan Wagemans
Version I, performance at the Rotterdam Biennal 1999 and Gaudeamus Festival 2000.
The concept of Silk Execution appeared in a flash after having seen the painting of Goya 'Execution of rebels of the 3rd of May': the trombones, lined up in a row as a kind of execution platoon.
This piece is based on the juxtaposition of ‘cluster chorales’ for trombones, set against percussion, as in Chinese opera. The cluster sound generally plays an important role, and includes the piano, although the piano also often reinforces the harp. The resulting ritualistic sound is festooned with soloist garlands by the harp.
The structure of the trombone clusters (the so-called ‘cluster chorales’) is dependent upon what is musically expressed. At times slowly performed clusters form a background for a virtuoso harp solo, at other times a quick sequence of staccato clusters commands our attention. A slowly performed cluster can consist of five tones, with one tone at a time changing, thus creating very subtle transitions. In this case the clusters are diatonic, as opposed to a more chromatic texture in the case of quick sequences of staccato clusters.
The percussion is largely characterized by a repetitive character. Some passages are completely determined by repetitive rhythms. A contrast to the clusters is formed by the trombones, which play more traditional "orchestral" octaves as a ceremonial gesture at significant climatical moments. At these moments the rest of the ensemble plays a subservient, or, if possible, a supportive role.
Written in 1999, the year I graduated from the Rotterdam Conservatoire, Silk Execution is dedicated to my teacher, composer Peter-Jan Wagemans, with whom I studied for six years. The work was first performed in 1999 in the hall of the old building of the Rotterdam Conservatoire by students conducted by Hans Leenders, and subsequently received a performance a year later during the Gaudeamus week by Holland Symfonia conducted by Fabrice Bollon.
Programme note for Canadian premiere of version II, April 20, 2013.
Silk Execution, version II, 2013
After seeing Francisco Goya’s painting, Execution of the Rebels, the idea for a composition came in a flash: brass instruments, lined-up in a row as executioners in a firing squad. At the time of writing the first version of Silk Execution I lived in Thailand and was drawn to the idea of silk, a valuable fabric spun from fibres of insect larvae. The pre-mature harvesting of a creature at its height of metamorphosis seemed so unfortunate and tragic, much like the plight of the rebels.
The violence associated with the above concept is musically translated through the use of clusters, used staccato in the foreground or as ‘cluster chorales’ in the background. A contrast to the clusters is formed when grand, more traditional ‘orchestral’ gestures appear during climaxes in the work. The percussion is largely characterized by repetitive rhythms based on Chinese Opera. The harmonium blends with the cluster chorales, whereas the piano emphasizes the harp. This is the second version of Silk Execution, where two of the five trombones in the original version are replaced by a French horn and tuba.
REVIEWS
"Music Biennal Rotterdam started.
Most evocative I thought was Silk Execution by Edward Top, who, following the style of Rihm, has five trombones played cluster chorales, placed against- and mixed with percussion as in Chinese opera, coloured by a harp, piano and harmonium. Slow-moving clusters are developed diatonically, fast staccato clusters chromatically. Especially the harmonium mixes well with the low brass, the percussion is a little overdone, but near the end a force of direction is inevitably achieved in this ritual.” Ernst Vermeulen, NRC Handelsblad October 18, 1999.
“‘La Chambre Claire’ sounds significantly more Western than ‘Silk Execution’ by the Dutch Edward Top with its percussion part reminiscent of Gamelan music.” Haagse Courant, 2 september 2000.
“There was no dozing off during this piece: percussionist Vern Griffithsʼ slapstick jolted listeners into full attention right off the top, and Topʼs imaginative use of a five-horn frontline—inspired, he said, by the firing squad in Francisco Goyaʼs painting Execution of the Rebels—was equally commanding.” Alexander Varty, Georgia Straight Vancouver, April 22, 2013