afl(=picc).corA.Ebcl(=bcl).ssax.dbn-1.picctpt.1.1-perc(2):glsp/vib/wdbl/2cowbells/2congas/SD/2tam-t(med,lg)/t.bells/tgl/abvil/2tom-t/BD/susp.cym(lg)/sizzle cym(lg)-harp-pft-strings(min:6.6.4.4.2)
Sinfonietta begins serenely with very still textures, slowly moving chords and repeating melodic material. The feeling is ritualistic and calm. With a series of extremely sudden jolts and furiously emphatic repetitions the music swings gradually towards a grotesque, quasi-militaristic central section. This swaggering parody of a march brings the rich raucous wind sounds to the fore as the music becomes more frenetic. The climax throws this bellicose craziness into stark juxtaposition with a re-emergent floating material on unison strings which re-establishes the mood of the opening. This simple arch-form takes the work from the tranquil to the visceral and back again.
James MacMillan, 1999
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"...a 20-minute arch, beginning with chant-like melodies before erupting with Varèse-like violence into a grotesque march, which veers in and out of focus before subsiding into the quietude of the opening again."
Financial Times
