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THINKING ALOUD: THE SOLILOQUY CYCLE

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 August 2024

Abstract

Beginning with Soliloquy I for solo violin in 1998, the author has been engaged in creating a series of highly virtuosic solo pieces for various instruments. Each piece presents a different character, yet all are framed by a single protagonist who narrates in different languages.

This article focuses particularly on analyses of Soliloquies II, VI, VII, VIII and IX, but also offers a discussion of the genesis of and processes involved in the whole cycle, which now embraces instruments from every section of the orchestra; the most recent, Soliloquy IX, for solo trumpet, was written in 2022. The suitability of the title Soliloquy is also considered; this article in turn could itself be considered a soliloquy.

Type
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press

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References

1 Thomas Simaku, String Quartets Nos. 2 & 3, Soliloquies I–III. 2008, Naxos, NAXOS 8.570428.

2 A recording of Soliloquy V can be heard at www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZzldS0tEFw&t=13s (accessed 26 April 2024).

3 A video of Andres Paulsson playing Soliloquy VI can be seen at www.youtube.com/watch?v=snVba1PySus (accessed 26 April 2024).

4 Anders Paulsson, Solitary Poems for Soprano Saxophone. 2023, BIS, BIS2644 SACD.

5 Tom Service, New Music Show, BBC Radio 3, 29 April 2023.

6 Jérôme Comte's performance of Soliloquy VII can be heard at www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXhEtiNYH_s (accessed 27 April 2024).

7 www.uymp.co.uk/composers/thomas-simaku/ (accessed 27 April 2024).

8 BBC Music Magazine, October 2023, p. 17.