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Work for large orchestra.
A cotyledon is the seed-leaf of a plant, the first burgeoning sign from a seed. In this piece I use the growth from seed to cotyledon, to full leaf then flower and, finally, seed again as a metaphor for the constant striving of human-kind to improve itself.
The score is prefixed with the opening words of Dylan Thomas’ “The force that through the green fuse drives the flower” as the first few lines of the poem have a powerful resonance in Cotyledon with their comparison between the creative and destructive forces that surround humanity. The imagery used by Thomas particularly emphasises the explosive nature of this power. Cotyledon dwells, perhaps, more on the creative power of Nature by contrasting the natural aspects of gentle development and explosive growth. The work is intended to have an optimistic outlook.
Beneath all the above is also my own fears and beliefs about humanity’s effect on Nature and my overall confidence that Man and Nature can, and must, live in harmony.
