Paul Carr

Sonatina For Solo Violin

Sonatina 'on the reburial of King Richard III' for solo violin.
When Em Marshall-Luck of the English Music Festival asked me to write a work for solo violin on the subject of King Richard III I had no idea where to start. However, watching the documentaries surrounding his reburial in Leicester Cathedral in March of 2015, and then seeing the rather powerful and moving ceremony itself on Channel 4, I found writing this piece surprisingly spontaneous.
Having composed a number of sonatinas for various instruments with piano accompaniment, it was a change and much less of a challenge than I had initially thought, in writing this one for solo violin. Although related to the subject of King Richard III (as was stipulated in the commission) I also wanted this piece to stand alone as four short movements in a familiar format to join my growing collection of sonatinas. The two outer movements and the Dance are mostly brisk and dramatic in mood, and relate to my thoughts on Richard as both a king and a man of the people, and the suspicions surrounding his rule through historic documentation, however accurate they may or may not be. The slow third movement was written as a direct response to the ceremony itself, and in particular the solemn procession as the coffin was carried to its final resting place within the Cathedral. This was then followed by the eulogy, a moving poem by Carol Ann Duffy, beautifully given by Benedict Cumberbatch. Paul Carr
Duration 12 minutes