Work of the Week – Richard Ayres: No. 56 (Islands)

Inaccessible lands: No. 56 (Islands) by Richard Ayres is an ensemble work dedicated to the perpetual mystery that has drawn in explorers for centuries. The world premiere takes place on December 8th at Amsterdam’s Muziekgebouw aan't IJ with Clark Rundell conducting the Asko|Schoenberg ensemble, the commissioner of this intriguing composition. 

Ayres, who numbers each of his compositions, was inspired to write the expansive, approximately 45-minute piece by a particular geographic book. In 2010, the author Judith Schalansky published the Atlas of Remote Islands: Fifty Islands I Have Never Set Foot On and Never Will. As a child, Schalansky used an atlas as an escapist outlet to take imaginary journeys to places inaccessible to her. As a composer of international status, Ayres does the same.

Musical island hopping with Richard Ayres

An idea adopted in No. 56 (Islands) in the form of short, whimsical individual pieces, each exploring uncharted territory. According to the composer, exploring the most remote places, especially metaphorically, highlights the importance of artists and musicians:

They can dream beyond restrictions in the world. (Richard Ayres)

In April 2023, Rotterdam welcomes the next performance of No. 56 (Islands) with Asko|Schönberg at the cultural Centre De Doelen with further performances in the pipeline. Those who can’t wait months for another Richard Ayres performance can head to the Staatstheater Mainz for numerous performances of his Opera Peter Pan (No. 45) between December and next Spring.

Links:

Richard Ayres: Composer profile 

No. 56 (Islands): Work details and online score

Website Asko|Schoenberg Ensemble 

photo: Jacques Descloitres / NASA Goddard Space Flight Center