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- Kenneth Leighton
Burlesque (1957)
- Novello & Co Ltd (World)
Programme Note
Kenneth Leighton: Burlesque
A Burla or Burlesca indicates a musical jest of a playful composition. There are examples of it in Bach's third Partita, in A minor, in Schumann's Album Leaves, and in an early work for pianoforte and orchestra by Richard Strauss.
Leighton's work was composed in the spring and summer of 1957 - the right months for a light-hearted piece - and was first performed in a broadcast by the BBC Scottish Orchestra, conducted by Colin Davis.
In a note sent to the present writer Mr Leighton says: "There is no programme to it. It sets out simply to express feelings of exuberance and sometimes playfulness with a good deal of orchestral brilliance, as I hope!"
There are two main ideas, the first is a fast rhythmic motive given out at once by the strings, punctuated by loud brass chords. A brass fanfare contributes a subsidiary idea and these two themes are immediately given rhythmic development. The second main theme, entering at the peak of a climax on the horns, is a broader tune marked ardente.
The piece follows roughly the design of classical sonata form, but there is an extended Coda, in which the second broad theme achieves a final transformation on full brass. There is a good deal of antiphonal treatment in the orchestration.
A Burla or Burlesca indicates a musical jest of a playful composition. There are examples of it in Bach's third Partita, in A minor, in Schumann's Album Leaves, and in an early work for pianoforte and orchestra by Richard Strauss.
Leighton's work was composed in the spring and summer of 1957 - the right months for a light-hearted piece - and was first performed in a broadcast by the BBC Scottish Orchestra, conducted by Colin Davis.
In a note sent to the present writer Mr Leighton says: "There is no programme to it. It sets out simply to express feelings of exuberance and sometimes playfulness with a good deal of orchestral brilliance, as I hope!"
There are two main ideas, the first is a fast rhythmic motive given out at once by the strings, punctuated by loud brass chords. A brass fanfare contributes a subsidiary idea and these two themes are immediately given rhythmic development. The second main theme, entering at the peak of a climax on the horns, is a broader tune marked ardente.
The piece follows roughly the design of classical sonata form, but there is an extended Coda, in which the second broad theme achieves a final transformation on full brass. There is a good deal of antiphonal treatment in the orchestration.