Chaconne for Jonathan Harvey (2013) Perusal Score
Commissioned by the London Festival of Contemporary Church Music (2013)
Solo Organ
First performance and broadcast 15 May 2013
Duration 10’
This work is in memory of Jonathan Harvey who I assisted as amanuensis on his final choral composition in summer 2012, Plainsongs for Peace and Light. My work refers to a couple of Harvey pieces - quoting plainsong in Plainsongs for Peace and Light and a chord pattern from The Angels (choral work from 1995).
The work was commissioned by the London Festival of Contemporary Church Music (2013). It was broadcast on BBC Radio 3 choral evensong on 15 and 19 May 2013. The work won a British Composer Award in the same year.
“Hughes’s craftsmanship (is) evident in every bar; the control of tension and release within the structure is particularly admirable. Rhythmic patterns here need careful work, and an efficient manual technique is absolutely essential, but players with a serious interest in contemporary music should explore this work”