Modern Music

Once Upon a Time   James Dillon Once Upon a Time...Ircam When the premiere of a work called ‘Once Upon a Time’ at the Huddersfield Festival of 1980,  James Dillon was immediately thrust centre stage.   Hitherto, James Dillon's success had been variable.   Mainly learning his craft in libraries rather than formal institutions and without the prospect of a performance at the end, many of his early pieces were left incomplete.   The first substantial work Babble (1974-6) was a brief glimpse of things to come.   Although now James Dillon disregards the rigorous architectural design in which everything 'is mapped out despite the material'.   After the first section was rehearsed by the newly formed Charles Ives Choir who were perplexed by some of the graphic notation, the work was abandoned.    His momentary interest in serialism in ‘Dillug-Kefitsah’ (1976) encouraged James Dillon to examine the seemingly paradoxical notion of a...

'Chamber Piece I' is one of my first major compositions. Even though, there are obvious influences from Claude Debussy’s “La Prelude d’une Faune ” and the pounding chords of Igor Stravinsky’s "The Rite of Spring”, none of these references are used in their original form. The music has been mentally absorbed and regenerated in this work. The individuality of this piece can be seen in its use of thematic material. Despite the fact that this piece was totally unplanned, it has a carefully crafted structure. Virtually all of the material is derived from the initial flute theme. Also, the transparency of the orchestration has a delicacy that is in my opinion somewhat unique. Although this could never be referred to as one of my 'mature' compositions, it is one of the earliest works that made it possible for me to take a vital step forward as a composer. Chamber Piece I