I – Twice I saw him
II – The dreams I’ve had
III – A lonely hearts ad
IV – Letitia has left me for Brighton
Monologues for the Curious is not so much a song cycle, but a bit closer to a set of four dramatic monologues, with the tenor adopting different characters for each movement. As I have done in a number of pieces, I have created my own texts out of an existing source material – in this case, various ghost stories by M. R. James. The texts don’t feel like M.R. James narratives, but sometimes have some of the same tone – sepulchral yet distanced.
The dreams I’ve had sees the tenor – wired, on edge, anguished – recount various surreal and chilling dreams he has had. In A lonely hearts ad, he presents potential romantic partners with a portrait of his views, experiences and peccadillos. He is asked to play a harmonica here – like a grizzled street busker.
In the final movement, Letitia has left me for Brighton, the narrator mourns the end of a relationship that has been torn apart by the loss of a child. We finish, again, with our French refrain – ‘Twice I saw him, a thousand times I felt him’. It seems, now, to refer to a child rather than a lover.
Instrumentation:
tenor voice & orchestra:
3.3(III=c.a.).3.alto sax.2.cbsn – 4.3.2.b.tbn.1 – perc(3): I: mar/alm/melodica/harmonica in C/B.D. – II: crot/melodica/W.B./Siz. Cym – II: vib/2 metronomes/marac – harp – tenor voice – strings (min. 10.8.8.6.4)
Duration:
25 mins
Commission:
Commissioned by BBC Radio 3
Performances:
1 Apr 2023
BBC Philharmonic Orchestra with Allan Clayton, John Storgårds (cond.)
BBC Proms, Royal Albert Hall, London, UK
World premiere