Kenneth Young Dance

Gemma New Conductor

Dance was written in 1997 on a commission from the NZSO. It coincided with a happy period of my life and the wonderful innocent joy of a two-year-old daughter. I had alive, vibrant, rhythmic and joyous musical ideas running through my head on a regular basis – all in 9/8 and based around a tonal centre of A major. I wanted to express a celebration of love and life – dance in the street, dance naked, dance on the beach, dance to the moon!

And yet also buried in there are subconscious reflections of boyhood dreams. I grew up in Christchurch where a particular north-westerly wind often prevails and produces a cloud pattern on the horizon known locally as a ‘nor-west arch.’ When this is combined with a sunset it creates the most divine effect. As a young boy I used to sit and stare at this miracle of light and dream about a world beyond those clouds and the music they played there. I can now recognise images of that dream in works such as Dance. Overtly esoteric nostalgia for some, but for me significant and relevant.

- Kenneth Young