Ian Wilson
Man-o'-War
Short instrumentation: 3 2 2 3 - 4 2 3 1 - timp, perc(3), str
Duration: 11'
Instrumentation details:
piccolo
1st flute
2nd flute
1st oboe
2nd oboe (+c.a)
1st clarinet in Bb
2nd clarinet in Bb
1st bassoon
2nd bassoon
contrabassoon
1st horn in F
2nd horn in F
3rd horn in F
4th horn in F
1st trumpet in Bb
2nd trumpet in Bb (+flhn)
1st trombone
2nd trombone
3rd trombone
tuba
timpani
percussion(3)
violin I
violin II
viola
violoncello
contrabass
Wilson - Man-o'-War for orchestra
Sample pages
Audio preview
Work introduction
Ian Wilson’s latest CD, Winter finding, has just been released on the RTÉ Lyric fm label. Gerhard Markson and David Porcelijn conduct the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra. The works included are an angel serves a small breakfast (1999, violin soloist Rebecca Hirsch), Man-o’-War (2001), Licht/ung (2004) and Winter finding (2004/5).
Andrew Clements writes in the Guardian, “After recent discs of Ian Wilson's string quartets and works for string orchestra, this strikingly well‑performed collection shows the northern Irishman working with a much more vivid instrumental palette. ... Perhaps the most impressive work, though, is the earliest – the violin concerto from 1999, in which the irrepressibly lyrical solo line unravels like a bundle of threads as it weaves through the orchestral textures; the idea is wonderfully sustained and generates music of great beauty.”
In the Irish Times, Michael Dervan writes that Man-o'-War “unleashes orchestral violence with the abandon of Edgard Varèse” and praises the “strong performances from the NSO”.