And Whether Pigs Have Wings (2022)
New version for soprano and wind band
Duration: 10’
Commissioned by the University of North Florida Wind Symphony and Brittany Fouché, conducted by Erin Bodnar, May 2022
Program Note
"The time has come," the Walrus said,
"To talk of many things:
Of shoes--and ships--and sealing-wax--
Of cabbages--and kings--
And why the sea is boiling hot--
And whether pigs have wings."
And Whether Pigs Have Wings draws inspiration from Lewis Carroll’s nonsense poem ‘The Walrus and The Carpenter’, and is the third (and final) work in a series for Dutch ensemble Orkest de Ereprijs. Here, it is adapted for winds, written especially for soprano Brittany Fouché and the University of North Florida Wind Symphony.
The piece sees the Walrus and the Carpenter take a stroll along a briny beach in the middle of the night. They complain about the sun and sand, and behave very badly and rudely towards a bunch of oysters (who haven’t any feet). The oysters are invited to lunch, and the walrus and carpenter end up eating their guests, with butter and bread, and pepper and vinegar. . . Musically, the work embraces stylistic juxtapositions and whimsical humour, conjuring up elements from funk, jazz, rock and metal. These can be heard both side by side and superimposed across each other. The soprano is a conduit for the nonsense tale, continually commenting on, chastising, and embodying the characters from the text.