Music: Monet on the Embankment

Monet on the Embankment
By Paul McGhee
Prima Vista Musikk

Never one to compose inside the box, the ever-inventive Paul McGhee presents a tonally ambiguous work that explores a very different contemporary sound world for brass band.

The key to understanding this complex piece is the inspiration - Claude Monet’s ‘Houses of Parliament’. McGhee cleverly explores the distortion of light in this collection of impressionist landscapes through the use of experimental writing, aimed at a high standard of band. This includes muted effects, various percussion instruments, extreme registers and dynamics for the entire band, as well as incorporating a rare use of quartertones to distort the harmonic picture. The work proves to be intellectually stimulating, utterly fascinating and a very welcome addition to the contemporary repertoire.

THOMAS DUNNE

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