Set in Vienna in the early 1900s, Graeme Murphy’s The Silver Rose is a lavishly told story of romantic intrigue. Composer Carl Vine, a long-time collaborator of Murphy’s, revisited his personal orchestral collection to compile the score. The Silver Rose premiered in Munich in 2005 and next year Australian audiences will encounter the passionate work when The Australian Ballet performs it in four capital cities. We chatted to Carl Vine about how you go about creating a score for one of the world’s favourite choreographers.
The Silver Rose is made up of several individual scores. Can you explain the process you went through pulling them all together?
The scores in The Silver Rose were written over a period of 20 years, yet they show many common threads in style and content. Once I had thoroughly familiarised myself with the original scenario it was a matter of scanning through my back catalogue for full movements of works of suitable orchestral scale that had dramatic impact suitable for each section of action. Some transitions between sections didn’t work but others did, which I think was largely due to the convincing logic of the storyline, as well as this inherent stylistic consistency. That still left plenty of exciting juxtapositions and the simple task of choosing the most exciting ones for the final cut.
How did this differ from creating a score from scratch?
A 90-minute orchestral score like this would normally take 12 to 18 months to complete. This compilation took about two days.
The Silver Rose is a ballet of many strong personalities: the lustful Baron, the strong-willed Marschallin, the innocent Sophie – which of these did you identify with the most?
In Graeme Murphy’s reinterpretation of the tale there is a typically lovely twist on an ancient theme – the introduction of the paparazzi – that’s me. I’m never quite in the spotlight but observing close to the action.
You have worked with Graeme Murphy on several occasions. Can you describe the collaborative process?
I first worked with Graeme in 1976. Every time since then that we have collaborated the process has been different – vastly, incalculably different. I actually created a similar ‘compilation’ score in the 1990s for his Beauty and the Beast, but that was as different from The Silver Rose as one could possibly imagine. (Although it did, in fact, use a couple of isolated patches of my Third Symphony that resurfaced, in entirely unrelated contexts, in The Silver Rose.)
What is your favourite piece of music?
Always the one I’ve just finished composing.
Who would you say are your biggest musical influences?
Bach, Beethoven, Stravinsky and Elliott Carter. And any other composer who never used two notes when just one would do.
The Australian Ballet performs The Silver Rose in Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide in 2010. Subscription packages for The Australian Ballet’s 2010 season are on sale now
Carl Vine interviewed by Philippe Magid
In conversation with Carl Vine
Set in Vienna in the early 1900s, Graeme Murphy’s The Silver Rose is a lavishly told story of love trysts, revenge and bittersweet romance. Composer Carl Vine, a long-time collaborator of Murphy’s, revisited his personal, and very extensive, orchestral collection to compile the score. The Silver Rose premiered in Munich in 2005 and next year Australian audiences will encounter the passion-filled work when The Australian Ballet performs it in Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide. We chatted to Carl Vine about how you go about creating a score for one of the world’s favourite choreographers.
The Silver Rose is made up of several individual scores. Can you explain the process you went through pulling them all together?
The scores in The Silver Rose were written over a period of 20 years, yet they show many common threads in style and content. Once I had thoroughly familiarised myself with the original scenario it was a matter of scanning through my back catalogue for full movements of works of suitable orchestral scale that had dramatic impact suitable for each section of action. Some transitions between sections didn’t work but others did, which I think was largely due to the convincing logic of the storyline, as well as this inherent stylistic consistency. That still left plenty of exciting juxtapositions and the simple task of choosing the most exciting ones for the final cut.
How did this differ from creating a score from scratch?
A 90-minute orchestral score like this would normally take 12 to 18 months to complete. This compilation took about two days.
The Silver Rose is a ballet of many strong personalities: the lustful Baron, the strong-willed Marschallin, the innocent Sophie – which of these did you identify with the most?
In Graeme Murphy’s reinterpretation of the tale there is a typically lovely twist on an ancient theme – the introduction of the paparazzi – that’s me. I’m never quite in the spotlight but observing close to the action.
You have worked with Graeme Murphy on several occasions. Can you describe the collaborative process?
I first worked with Graeme in 1976. Every time since then that we have collaborated the process has been different – vastly, incalculably different. I actually created a similar ‘compilation’ score in the 1990s for his Beauty and the Beast, but that was as different from The Silver Rose as one could possibly imagine. (Although it did, in fact, use a couple of isolated patches of my Third Symphony that resurfaced, in entirely unrelated contexts, in The Silver Rose.)
What is your favourite piece of music?
Always the one I’ve just finished composing.
Who would you say are your biggest musical influences?
Bach, Beethoven, Stravinsky and Elliott Carter. And any other composer who never used two notes when just one would do.
