Frederick Viner

Bells Wrung

Bells Wrung is characterised primarily through its recurring 'A' pedal, imitative of a tolling belling. Similar to other pedal-orientated pieces in the Piano repetoire - Ravel's Le Gibet, or Chopin's Raindrop Prelude for example - this pervasive tone serves to mediate and unify the often dense, chromatic harmonic language, all the while providing an obvious audible continuity. The pun in the title refers to how the constantly fluctuating rhythms and metre seem to compress, stretch, or wring the musical material. Bells Wrung was awarded The Henfrey Prize for Composition and was workshopped and performed on the 19th June 2017 at St Catherine's College, Oxford, by Dominic Saunders. Duration: c. 4