Mr Ptolemy: his Passions and Polemics

Read, Martin

About the work

This piece was written for students at Alton College, and explores the nature of relationships – each instrument having its own character. The clarinet and bassoon are individuals – as is the bass although less so. The piano happily relates to everybody, whilst the upper strings can only act in a rather lad-like fashion – the herd mentality.

First Performance: Students from Alton College, March 1997, Farnham Maltings

Technical notes

Clarinet – extended range, big leaps. Bassoon – big leaps. Frequent changes to irregular time signatures.