November [parts]

November was commissioned by the Royal Chamber Orchestra of Wallonia to mark the centenary of the Armistice that brought an end to the First World War in 1918. It is dedicated both to the ORCW and to Les Violons du Roy, the renowned Canadian string ensemble, as the two orchestras gave the world première jointly. The work may be performed with the orchestra arranged traditionally, or divided into two groups to evoke the impression of a confrontation—symbolising the notion of internal battle.

The work opens with a slow, solemn introduction featuring a monodic motif of fifteen notes played in unison by the full ensemble. This is followed by a brief, high-lying cadenza entrusted to the concertmaster, accompanied by a sustained chord from the rest of the orchestra. This melodic motif, initially stated in its barest form, will only be harmonised much later in the work. Its harmonisation serves as the generative material for the subsequent sections, each of which develops from a single one of the derived chords.

What follows is a series of five contrasting sections unfolding without pause. Their dramatic intensity creates the impression of an ongoing struggle between the different desks of the orchestra—a struggle without clear resolution. The first harmonised statement of the opening motif offers a momentary respite, a brief armistice between opposing forces. But this lull is short-lived: the ensuing sections reignite the tension, each grounded in one of the remaining harmonies previously derived but as yet unexplored. Elements from earlier episodes return, now interwoven with new materials.

Throughout the work, frequent divisi passages highlight the individuality of each musician, especially when performed with a twelve-part string ensemble. The return of the opening motif—now orchestrated in an even more powerful and impassioned form—brings the piece to a poignant and resonant close.