Shanty – Over the Sea
strings
- Year
- 2020
- Duration
- 00:08:00
- Category
- String Orchestra
Instrumentation
String orchestra: minimum 5.5.3.3.1
Commission
Commissioned by Australian Chamber Orchestra, New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, Münchener Kammerorchester, Hong Kong Sinfonietta, Amsterdam Sinfonietta (supported by The Eduard van Beinum Foundation), Swedish Chamber Orchestra, Kammerorchester Basel with Gstaad Menuhin Festival & Academy, Istanbul Music Festival, and Barbican Centre with Britten Sinfonia.
Programme notes
A shanty is a song in many verses sung by a group of sailors at work. The melody is sung many times, never the same, with a strong rhythmic pulse but not necessarily literal unanimity.
A shanty, along with any folk song in the English-language traditions, creates depth through repetition of the melody and variation of the story.
In this Shanty fifteen individual voices, sometimes together and sometimes divergent, create a widening seascape.
In a Shanty, the cyclical verses build a story of the harsh, mechanical routine of the petty captain’s rule, and accumulate a longing for mutiny. As in a Slave Spiritual, there is an implied yearning for liberation, freedom from the false, arbitrary regime of the petty masters, and a dream of a safe harbour beyond.
Shanty is written for the musicians of the orchestras who play it.
Reviews
‘A hypnotic, captivating piece in which a timeless melody drifts in and out of focus over the steady beat of persistent pizzicatos before fading into an eerie silence suggestive of vast expanses of open sea. The beauty of the string writing recalls Sibelius.’
The Guardian (Tim Ashley), 11 June 2021
Availability
Score available on special sale or hire and parts available for hire
Scores and publication
Upcoming performances
No performances found.
Previous performances
- — BRUSK (Bruges, Belgium) — Belgium — Composer
- — Beguinage Lier (Lier, Belgium) — Belgium — Composer
- — Berwaldhallen (Stockholm, Sweden) — Sweden — Composer
- — Fondation Louis Vuitton (Paris, France) — France — Composer
- — Town Hall (Wollongong, NSW, Australia) — Australia — Composer
- — City Recital Hall, Angel Place (Sydney, NSW, Australia) — Australia — Composer
- — The Glasshouse International Centre for Music (Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, United Kingdom) — United Kingdom — Composer
- — Elder Hall, Elder Conservatorium (Adelaide, SA, Australia) — Australia — Composer
- — Barnes Hall, Cornell University (Ithaca, NY, USA) — USA — Composer
- — Carl Nielsen Salen, Koncerthus (Odense, Denmark) — Denmark — Composer
- — Carl Nielsen Salen, Koncerthus (Odense, Denmark) — Denmark — Composer
- — Grande Auditório, Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian (Lisbon, Portugal) — Portugal — Composer
- — Concert Hall, Hong Kong City Hall (Hong Kong, China) — China — Composer
- — Shanghai Concert Hall (Shanghai, China) — China — Composer
- — Esplanade Theatres on the Bay, University of Singapore (Singapore, Singapore) — Singapore — Composer
- — Oak Ridge High School (Oak Ridge, USA) — USA — Composer
- — Stadtcasino Basel (Basel, Switzerland) — Switzerland — Composer
- — Guildhall School of Music and Drama (London, United Kingdom) — United Kingdom — Composer
- — Philharmonie (Paris, France) — France — Composer
- — Le Ferme Corsange (Bailly-Romainvilliers, France) — France — Composer
- — Le Ferme Corsange (Bailly-Romainvilliers, France) — France — Composer
- — Fondation Louis Vuitton (Paris, France) — France — Composer
- — Sendesaal Bremen (Bremen, Germany) — Germany — Composer
- — Vina Santa Rita (Buin, Chile) — Chile — Composer
- — Het Concertgebouw (Amsterdam, Netherlands) — Netherlands — Composer
- — Gewandhaus (Leipzig, Sachsen, Germany) — Germany — Composer
- — Gewandhaus (Leipzig, Sachsen, Germany) — Germany — Composer
- — Persons Auditorium (Marlboro, VT, USA) — USA — Composer
- — Atrium Moravské zemské knihovny (Brno, Czech Republic) — Czech Republic — Composer
- — Camerata, Music Centre (Helsinki, Finland) — Finland — Composer
- — Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center (New York City, NY, USA) — USA — Composer
- — Great Guild Hall (Riga, Latvia) — Latvia — Composer
- — Tapiola Hall, Espoo Cultural Centre (Espoo, Finland) — Finland — Composer
- — St Mary's Church (Rye, East Sussex, United Kingdom) — United Kingdom — Composer
- — Ringve Museum (Trondheim, Norway) — Norway — Composer
- — Elbphilharmonie (Hamburg, Germany) — Germany — Composer
- — Milton Court, Guildhall School of Music and Drama (London, United Kingdom) — United Kingdom — Composer
- — Koussevitzky Music Shed (Lenox, MA, USA) (14:30) — USA — Composer, Conductor
- — Koussevitzky Music Shed (Lenox, MA, USA) (10:30) — USA — Composer, Conductor
- — Hagia Irene Museum (Istanbul, Turkey) — Turkey — Composer
- — Concert Hall, Hong Kong City Hall (Hong Kong, China) — China — Composer
- — TivoliVredenburg (Utrecht, Netherlands) — Netherlands — Composer
- — No Venue (Den Haag, Netherlands) — Netherlands — Composer
- — New Jersey Performing Arts Center (Newark, NJ, USA) — USA — Composer
- — Count Basie Theatre (Red Bank, NJ, USA) — USA — Composer
- — Richardson Auditorium, Princeton University (New Jersey, NJ, USA) — USA — Composer
- — Prinzregententheater (Munich, Bavaria, Germany) — Germany — Composer
- — Konzerthaus (Ravensburg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany) — Germany — Composer
- — No Venue (Gstaad, Bern/Berne, Switzerland) — Switzerland — Composer
- — Barbican Hall, London (20:00) — United Kingdom — Composer, Pianist, Conductor
- — Bayerischer Rundfunk Radio (Germany) — Germany — Composer
- — ABC (Australia) — Australia — Composer
- — City Recital Hall, Angel Place (Sydney, NSW, Australia) — Australia — Composer
- — City Recital Hall, Angel Place (Sydney, NSW, Australia) — Australia — Composer
- — City Recital Hall, Angel Place (Sydney, NSW, Australia) — Australia — Composer
- — City Recital Hall, Angel Place (Sydney, NSW, Australia) — Australia — Composer
- — City Recital Hall, Angel Place (Sydney, NSW, Australia) — Australia — Composer
- — Town Hall (Wollongong, NSW, Australia) — Australia — Composer
Recordings
- Thomas Adès, William Marsey & Oliver Leith: Orchestral Works — 2025 — Hallé (CDHLL7567)
- Shanty – Over the Sea (ACO Originals) — 2023 — ABC Classics