"In Greek mythology, Helios was the sun god, son of Hyperion, depicted as driving his chariot across the sky from east to west daily. Choros in ancient Greek drama means a band of dancers whose singing, dancing, and narration provide explanation and elaboration of the main action.

"Helios Choros I could be described loosely as an 12-minute crescendo. The first four minutes present delicate, sparkling and glistening sounds, introduced by 2 harps, celesta, piano, a variety of bells, string harmonics and string pizzicatti. The music evokes a subtle, playful and ethereal reflection of the vast, subtle array of twinkling, shimmering points, and a gradual rise in rhythmic, dancing energy.

"The remainder of the work is high-energy passion, in which blocks of sound-worlds are juxtaposed in an early-Stravinsky-like manner. For instance you will hear a block of chord progressions, and then a block of low register jig-like gambols, and then a block of tunes intertwined. These, and various other sections, crosscut quickly and very gradually coalesce.

"It was my aim in this work to write continuous fast, animated music. (Lots of notes!) Like all of my music, this work is based on a very integrated set of musical materials. It is my goal to compose music that remembers and knows the repertoire but also pushes forward in its own voice. For instance, my music remembers what the flute meant to Debussy, what a major third has been in a universe of melodic and harmonic languages, what bells meant in past cultures, remembering forms and textures, remembering processes of narration and drama. It remembers colors, and impulses, and the risk of early Stravinsky, and the counterpoint of Bach, and the melodies of Mahler songs, and the inflection of Ella, and the invention of Coltrane, etc.

"With [the Italian composer] Luciano Berio [1925-2003] as one model, my music tries to invent continuities — not to rupture and break from the past — and attempts to do so without being clich&3acute;, nostalgic or sappy. Music's eternal quality is its capacity for change, transformation and renewal.

"Helios Choros I is part of a 50-minute triptych of works that will hopefully someday be performed together, on one concert, as well as recorded together on one CD.

"The works can be played all together or separately, or any two can be played together.

"Helios Choros I is dedicated with admiration and gratitude to Sir Andrew Davis, Victor Marshall, and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. These are its premiere performances. Duration: 12 minutes.

"Helios Choros II, commissioned by the Orchestra of Paris, Christoph Eschenbach conducting, will premiere on December 12, 2007. Duration: 15 minutes

"Helios Choros III co-commissioned by the London SO and Boston SO. LSO premiere in December 2008. BSO premiere date TBD. Duration: 20 minutes."

— Augusta Read Thomas

SIDEBAR: THE CREATIVE PROCESS: AUGUSTA READ THOMAS

Most composers today use specialized computer software when they write music. Augusta Read Thomas still works the old-fashioned way, by hand on manuscript paper. She is a careful planner with an established work method — and a keen eye for detail.

"For each piece I write, whether it's solo violin, large orchestra, orchestra/chorus, or whatever, I begin by drawing a map of the piece," she explains. "For Helios Choros I, I drew a fifteen-minute map and subdivided it into various sections. I know exactly how long each section lasts, what the transitions are between those sections, the major key areas, what is the motivic, the timbral life of those sections. I end up having lots of drawings of each piece. In that sense, the process is formal and organized.

"If I 'conduct' through the piece several times, sometimes I realize that one section is not in proportion to the next section, or in fact that the music is rich and needs more time. So the planning is careful: I have these maps and I follow them. On the other hand, I like to keep the music alive and improvised, not academic or dry or prescribed. There's always a balance between having an architecture that works beautifully, with the right proportion, that makes people feel comfortable and solid about where they are in the piece. At the same time, it has to have a magical mystery tour about it!

"Another important aspect is that my music is extremely nuanced, detail-oriented. Every note in my score tells the players and conductor which dynamic, with what kind of accent, where does the pedal get lifted, how much is the decay in the harp or the vibraphone, on which string to play pizzicato. I try to be as specific as possible with every detail, because then the performers know what is the inner life of the motives, the sound world that I want — and they can play it better!"

Something more

AUGUSTA READ THOMAS

Listeners interested in Ms. Thomas's music will want to hear Words of the Sea, an all-Thomas CD with conductors Pierre Boulez and Oliver Knussen, violinist Baird Dodge, and soprano Christine Brandes with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the CSO's MusicNow Ensemble (ARTCD). The disc includes the title work; In My Sky at Twilight; and Carillon Sky for solo violin and 14 players. David Finckel is the cello soloist in Thomas's Cello Concerto on Cello Classics New & Old, with Felix Chiu-Sen Chen leading the Taipei Symphony Orchestra (ArtistLed).

Further reading:

Helios Choros III

Program Note by the Composer

Helios Choros III, commissioned by and dedicated to the Orchestra of Paris and Christoph Eschenbach, is the third part of a 45-minute triptych. The works can be played all together or separately, or any two can be played together. Helios Choros III lasts 15 minutes.  Helios Choros I was composed in 2006 and was premiered by the Dallas Symphony, Sir Andrew Davis conducting.  Helios Choros II, co-commissioned by the London Symphony Orchestra and Boston Symphony Orchestra, will premiere on 14 December 2008.

Helios, in Greek Mythology, is the sun god, son of Hyperion, depicted as driving his chariot across the sky from east to west daily.  Choros in ancient Greek drama means a band of dancers whose singing, dancing, and narration provide explanation and elaboration of the main action.

My main inspiration while spending a lifetime writing music is music itself. I listen to "Jazz" as frequently as I listen to "Classical" music.  Like all of my music, this work is based on a very integrated set of musical materials.  What comes first for me? The sounds, the rhythms, the colors, the harmonies and then I work hard to integrate them across a 45-minute landscape.

For instance, Helios Choros III can be heard in the form of a 15-minute crescendo, with a denouement at the end.  Within that simple crescendo form, there are many sections of varying character, color, rhythmic syntax, and so forth.  Despite the huge differences between these subdivisions, they are all based on the same musical materials, looked at and analyzed from a variety of perspectives, and then, rejoined and combined to be part of a larger, integrated whole.

When you hear Helios Choros III, one has to imagine that, in the whole triptych, the audience will have already heard 30 minutes of music by the time the first sound of Helios Choros III starts with its lilting, light-footed and colorful dance in 6/8 meter, which is frequently interrupted by other mixed meters. Two harps, with the strings playing pizzicato, are at the center of the sound, but soon the entire orchestra is contributing to this dance, emulating a mega-harp. Gradually floating solo flute lines are excited out of the harmonies.  The two solo flutes lead the music into an episode mostly for solo woodwinds, which is florid and playful.  That transforms into a passage of slow, glowing, warm and resonant harmonies, in which the trombone has a long high lyrical solo.  The slow music becomes active from the inside, starts to shimmer and oscillate, until it builds up enough momentum to gradually become majestic and then energized and intense.

From here until the end, continuous fast (lots of notes!), animated, virtuosic, high-energy music takes over.   The music is driving and relentless, while always multi-colored.  Blocks of sound-worlds are juxtaposed.  For instance, you will hear a block of gritty fanfare-like, brassy lines and chord progressions, and then a block of low register jig-like gambols, and then a block of rhythmically animated intertwined tunes. These, and various other sections, crosscut quickly and very gradually coalesce.   The final 80 seconds of the work, featuring the concertmaster, is a dreamy and spacious conclusion, which bring the 45-minute triptych to a modest, very quiet ending.

Augusta Read Thomas