composer
Edward Top was born in Ommen, the Netherlands, in 1972. Top has lived and worked in London, Bangkok, and Rotterdam. He now lives in Vancouver, Canada. Top studied composition and ...
related works
Genre:
Vocal music
Subgenre:
Voice and large ensemble
Scoring:
fl ob cl cl-b fg h perc hp str
Dry Bones, Arise! : for symphony orchestra / br Kris Oelbrandt ocso
Genre:
Orchestra
Subgenre:
Orchestra
Scoring:
picc 2fl 2ob eh 3cl cl-b 2fg cfg 4h 3trp 2trb-ten trb-b tb timp 3perc hp str
Genre:
Orchestra
Subgenre:
Orchestra
Scoring:
3343 4441 timp 2perc 2hp str
Six one-act plays : for twenty-nine musicians / Hans Kox
Genre:
Orchestra
Subgenre:
Orchestra
Scoring:
0200 2000 cemb str(8.6.4.4.2.)
composition
Symphony : Golden dragon, for orchestra, 2001 / Edward Top
Description:
Program note (English): There are three main elements onto which this piece is constructed. 1) Sound: this is often created by successions of clusters; I shall call them cluster-chorales, hissing sounds (strings), chromatic walls, and/or modal sound fields. - 2) Motives: there are a number of motives of different character forming the basis of the composition, either tonal-melodic or harmonic and chromatic. - 3) Traditional gestures: a lot of gestures in the piece originate from traditional symphonic music. The final chorale towards the end of the work is some sort of blown up Tchaikowski. The three elements join each other in a fourth element: Layers. On many occasions there are different elements sounding simultaneously and in different instrumental groupings. An important feature in the Symphonys orchestration is the particular octave doubling, or being 'on the verge of octavation'. Idea is to create extra tension by not resolving dirty octaves, i.e. major sevenths and minor ninths. One could say
the orchestration has become part of compositional ideas, even with finding pitches. After its original setting including Wagner tubas and contrabass trombone, the symphony was revised in 2001 and the orchestration was reduced. - EDWARD TOP