In the early 1990s I was getting to know the poems of Philip Larkin and was struck
by one of his earliest poems 'Going'. It is, as with many of Larkin's poems, concerned with
his acute awareness of approaching death and whilst I am not especially given to morbid
contemplation of that sort, I was captivated by his oblique suggestion of the momentous.
In the first two stanzas there is a feeling of warmth contained within the bleakness:
There is an evening coming in
Across the fields, one never seen before,
That lights no lamps.
Silken it seems at a distance, yet
When it is drawn up over the knees and breast
It brings no comfort.
I remember feeling an instinctive conversion into sound - in particular the opening
chord - which generated much of the character of the piece. Most of the piece is slow
and contemplative in nature with a more animated middle section.
It is dedicated to Sarah Jane Bradley, a great friend and a wonderful musician, who gave
the premiere of the viola version in 1991.
Click a score sample below to view a larger version of the score...
Beginning
World Premiere: Arioso for Viola and Piano
Thursday 16th May 1991
Sarah-Jane Bradley, viola | James Francis Brown, piano
Works: Arioso for Viola and Piano
