It might seem a bit seasonally early, but the title of today’s Advent Calendar piece is, i suspect, to be taken figuratively. A Forest Reawakens by Electra Perivolaris is a short but potent orchestral work that articulates what one could read as the beginnings of a process of rebirth or renewal.
The word ‘forest’ is extremely apt, as the piece consists entirely of various searching melodic strands that wind like so many limbs and fronds. There’s a 4-note motif – rising a semitone, then a minor third, falling a semitone – that occurs at numerous points, and seems to act like a spark of energy, setting off and helping to continue and focus the process of reawakening. The four-minute structure of the piece is like a series of pulsations, getting quicker. Twin opening string lines (one lyrical, one more assertive) open out and yield to the winds. We hear glitter from somewhere, perhaps a sign of the electricity starting to spread. The winds swell to a shrill chord and the music regains its lyrical focus. Further swells occur, bringing more sharp chords and a significant increase in internal convolution, to the extent that by a couple of minutes in, things start to sound a little fraught.
But then something unexpected happens: the pattern breaks, and the music briefly takes a turn for the grandiose, with the 4-note motif heard a couple more times prominently. This leads into a curious closing sequence where the brass, in octaves, intone a kind of chant, spreading to the lower strings, while the violins add a countermelody. A new phase of reawakening, perhaps, one that abruptly ends with a spritely upward thrill from the winds.
From one perspective, the piece only just feels like it’s got going when it ends, and i’d be very happy indeed to hear a lot more exploring where things go next. On the other hand, it’s a beautifully constructed miniature that packs a lot into its short duration, all of it highly individual and very strong in both its lyrical power and cumulative effect.
The first performance of A Forest Reawakens was given in October 2021 by the BBC Concert Orchestra conducted by Barry Wordsworth.
