Conceived as a single movement of gathering momentum and intensity, Ben Foskett’s first solo concerto certainly fulfils one expectation of the form: the solo violin is a dominating presence throughout the work, not least because the soloist is the only violinist on the stage. However, in other respects, Foskett’s approach to concerto form evolves directly from his work on two song cycles (Three Gascoyne Settings and Suburban Nightmares) and two scores for dance: in each of these pieces, the ‘world’ created by one protagonist (dancer or singer) resonates and develops through the accompanying ensemble (be that solo instrument or symphony orchestra).
The soloist instigates and leads the narrative progress of the Concerto and, by deriving the orchestral fabric from the violin’s musical stream of consciousness, Foskett reinterprets traditional notions of opposition and contrast between the one and the many as, effectively, the one with itself. The Concerto is a monodrama with the ensemble texture constituting a kind of ‘double’ of the solo part, and this is embodied by the two basic means of solo/tutti interaction deployed throughout the work. First, the initial sequence of perfect fourths on the violin is taken up as the basis for the chords that circle the solo line; then, a more rhythmically fluid relationship is established, itself characterised in forceful rhythmic unison writing for the ensemble.
Ben Foskett’s Violin Concerto is dedicated to Clio Gould who gave the first performance with the London Sinfonietta, conducted by Oliver Knussen, on April 2, 2004
© Christopher Austin 2004