Work of the Week - Toru Takemitsu: Twill by Twilight

Toru Takemitsu’s 1998 orchestral work Twill by Twilight will be performed by the BBC Philharmonic conducted by Yutaka Sado at Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall on Saturday 10th October 2009.

Written for the 25th anniversary of Tokyo’s Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra, Twill by Twilight is a memorial for Morton Feldman, a close friend of the composer, who died a year earlier in 1997. The expressive sound-world which Takemitsu creates in this short work is hinted at in the composer’s own programme note, where he describes a "twill" of music which is slowly develops, gradually gaining melody, rhythm and form. He goes on to state that the "delicate shades of pastel colouring are connotative of transient floridness of twilight precedent to the coming night after sunset", further emphasising the evocative nature of this work.

Before the performance, a pre-concert talk presented by Lynn Walker and Schott composer John Casken will give audience members the opportunity to explore Takemitsu’s extraordinary life and music.

• Takemitsu - profile
• BBC Philharmonic
• Bridgewater Hall