John Casken's Violin Concerto loosely takes its narrative structure from Leo Tolstoy's novella Father Sergius, which also inspired his second opera, God's Liar.
Recording & Production
The Violin Concerto and Concerto for Orchestra were recorded at Hallé St Peter's, Manchester in March 2013, while Orion Over Farne was recorded at the same venue in November 2013.
Compositional Technique
The Concerto for Orchestra, unlike the Violin Concerto and Orion over Farne, is not based on any extra-musical source, despite Casken's consideration of calling it a Symphony.
Composition History
The Violin Concerto was commissioned by the BBC for Russian violinist Dmitry Sitkovetsky and the BBC Philharmonic, premiering at the 1995 BBC Proms.
Compositional Technique
John Casken's Concerto for Orchestra continues his interest in two-movement forms, where each movement is given equal weight and the second develops earlier material in new directions.
Composition History
Orion over Farne was inspired by the Greek myth of Orion, the Northumberland coastline, and lines from Basil Bunting's extended poem Briggflatts.
Composer's Artistic Vision
John Casken, the composer, often finds inspiration for his works in literature and legend, as evidenced by the titles of his compositions.
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