Mythical Moments

Chamber Music –

Mythical Moments (2002) for flute, viola and harp

See here!

Mythical Moments is a group of little tone poems about characters from Greco-Roman mythology in 4 movements.

1. Hylas

2. Sisyphus

3. Marsyas

4. Tantalus

Briefly, Hylas was a youth beloved by Hercules. He was sent to fetch water in the forest where he was detained by water nymphs enamoured of his beauty. Sisyphus was a legendary king of Corinth who was doomed to spend eternity rolling a big rock uphill, which upon reaching the summit, rolled down again. Marsyas was a flutist who dared to challenge Apollo to a musical contest. He was, of course, defeated and then flayed alive. Tantalus revealed the secrets of the gods and was punished by having to stand in water up to his chin under a loaded fruit tree. Whenever he tried to satisfy his hunger and thirst, the wind would blow the fruit tree branches out of reach and the water would recede.

These descriptive cameos lent themselves nicely to short musical settings for oboe or flute, viola and harp.

The premier was performed by Okeanos and took place in the United Reformed Church, Cambridge, England in August 2002.