CONCERT WORKS
Genus Quartet | 2013, 10'
String quartet
Adapted from Talbot's 2007 work of the same name — a 45-minute electro-acoustic dance score for Wayne McGregor and the Paris Opera Ballet — for Los Angeles' acclaimed Calder Quartet.
Meniscus | 2012, 9'
Orchestra
Commissioned by Beijing's Orchestra of the National Centre for Performing Arts as part of their World Environment Day celebrations.
Chacony in G Minor (after Purcell) | 2011, 6'
Orchestra
In celebration of his 50th birthday, Benjamin Britten was in 1963 asked to conduct a Prom of his own music, and he began the programme with his arrangement of Henry Purcell's Chacony in G Minor. Almost 50 years later, Talbot was asked to offer a new arrangement of the work in commemoration of that event. The result was premiered at the BBC Proms in 2011 by the BBC Symphony Orchestra.
Fool's Paradise | 2007, 30'
Strings, harp, piano
This work began life as a new piano trio for the British Film institute's re-release of Evgenii Bauer's 1918 silent work The Dying Swan, about a tragic ballerina. This version was created for choreographer Christopher Wheeldon's ballet Fool's Paradise with his company, Morphoses, and later with The Royal Ballet. Released along with the Suite from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Signum Classics.
Path of Miracles | 2005, 60'
Chorus
Written for the exceptional choral ensemble Tenebrae, this is an hour-long a cappella exploration of the phenomenon of the Camino de Santiago — the ancient Catholic pilgrimage route across northern Spain to the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia. The text comprises excerpts from historical and sacred documents in several different languages, alongside original material by poet Robert Dickinson.
The Wishing Tree | 2002, 4'
6 Male Voices
This a cappella work took for its text poet Kathleen Jamie's meditation on the folk custom of wishing trees, into the trunks and limbs of which people would press coins in hopes of obtaining their dearest desires. It was inspired by Elizabethan madrigals, written as it was in celebration of Queen Elizabeth II's Golden Jubilee, and premiered by the King's Singers in a 2002 BBC Prom entitled The Oriana Collection, which also featured madrigals from Thomas Morley's 1601 compilationTheTriumphs of Oriana (a common contemporary reference to Queen Elizabeth I).
Worlds, Stars, Systems, Infinity | 2012, 7'
Orchestra, chorus
Commissioned by the Philharmonia Orchestra as part of the interactive installation Universe of Sound, this response to Holst's The Planets was presented as an eighth movement of that piece.
Chamber Symphony | 2012, 30'
Chamber orchestra
Premiered as the score for Medhi Walerski's 2012 work Chamber with Nederlands Dans Theater. The work was commissioned as part of the 100th anniversary celebrations for Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring.
Tide Harmonic | 2009, 75'
Orchestra
Originally conceived as a dance score for Carolyn Carlson's Eau, this work has since been adapted for concert use. It describes the various properties, processes and systems of water. Parts of the work form the score for Christopher Wheeldon's 2013 work, also called Tide Harmonic, premiered by Pacific Northwest Ballet.
Desolation Wilderness | 2006, 23'
Solo trumpet, orchestra
Written for soloist Alison Balsom and co-commissioned by the Royal Liverpool and Turku Philharmonic Orchestras, this concerto describes the dramatic landscapes of eastern California's Sierra Nevada.
Hovercraft | 2004, 5'
Orchestra
Commissioned by the Kensington Symphony Orchestra, this work went on to form part of the score for choreographer Wayne McGregor's 2007 work Chroma, for The Royal Ballet.
Sneaker Wave | 2004, 15'
Orchestra
This work mirrors the phenomenon known as a sneaker or sleeper wave, most prevalent on the Pacific Northwest coast of the United States and Canada. These waves build under the surface by gathering the force of other, smaller waves through which they travel, creating a massive swell which then engulfs the shore. It was premiered by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales at the 2004 BBC Proms.