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
Farewell Songs : for countertenor, Baroque ensemble, and Chinese instruments / Edward Top
Genre:
Vocal music
Subgenre:
Voice and instrument(s)
Scoring:
zzang suona 2erhu saxkbut perc cemb vn vc db
Praefixum : voor orkest, 1987 / Jan Bus
Genre:
Orchestra
Subgenre:
Orchestra
Scoring:
3333 4331 timp 4perc pf str
Suite symphonique : pour grand orchestre / Henri Zagwijn
Genre:
Orchestra
Subgenre:
Orchestra
Scoring:
3333 4331 timp perc cel 2hp str
My Green Shade Forest : for orchestra / Robert Groslot
Genre:
Orchestra
Subgenre:
Orchestra
Scoring:
3222 4331 Perc(3) Harp Piano Strings
composition
Helix (2022 revision) : for orchestra / Edward Top
Description:
Helix consists of a single motive that occurs in five different speeds. At the opening of the work it can be heard on its own - slowly - in the horn and strings, followed by denser sections where the music intensifies through diminution (the motive in faster appearances), spiralling in and out of the different speeds. An echoing technique derived from electronic delay as found in rock music emphasizes this spiralling. This echo can be heard throughout the six-minute composition, but starts right at the beginning as a layer in bassoons, percussion, harp and piano. The work shifts through different diatonic modes where Corellian suspension chains in the strings, again, underscore the spiralling motion. These elements combined result in a weightless twirling that eventually gravitates towards a more grounded climax.