Holland Festival Proms: Solar Trilogy

The sun is not only the source of all life on earth, for centuries it has also been a source of inspiration to composers; ranging from “Und es ward Licht!” in Haydn's Die Schöpfung (The Creation, 1798)  to Carl Nielsen's Helios Overture (1903). Solar Trilogy (1992-1995) by Danish composer Poul Ruders (1949) is a fascinating addition to this tradition.

Scored for a large orchestra, it comprises three symphonic poems of twenty minutes each, highlighting different aspects of the sun. It's a bold choice by Ruders to compose a symphonic poem, as the genre and its principal representative Richard Strauss have a dubious reputation among post-war composers. It underlines Ruders' artistic independence and stylistic versatility. Now and then, we can hear echoes of Strauss in Solar Trilogy, but there's atonal expressionism and minimalist music as well. Ruders uses this range of different styles to paint a richly varied picture of the sun. In the first part, Gong, one can hear the sun vibrating like a gong in a sandstorm. The gong is expressed by the extensive percussion section, the sandstorm by the restless rhythms and manifold dissonant chords. The serene second part, Zenith, offers a complete contrast. With its romantic harmonies it forms the slow middle movement of the score, conveying sunrise and sunset, and in particular the effect this has on people. The third part, Corona, is inspired by the image of a solar eclipse, which reveals a halo of solar beams encircling a black silhouette. The music is characterised by ominous, sizzling sounds, slowly working towards a majestic climax of brass chorales depicting the majestic breakthrough of sunlight after the eclipse and echoing the melodies from Zenith. However, the final gesture is a mysterious minor chord – characteristic of Ruders, who is not afraid to please but never takes the easy option either.