Alexander Goehr

Largo Siciliano op. 91

Largo Siciliano is a slow dance movement in a simple metre comprising a sequence of variations, separated by a refrain; a single idea is continually reworked and recast. This idea, or little siciliano, is a reference to Mode de Valeurs et d'intensités, written in 1948 by Messiaen with whom the composer studied. He writes: 'From this piece sprang the whole development of 'total serialism'. But Messiaen's piece was not serial, and nor is mine. What was originally considered as a study or experiment is, for me, a point of departure for quite different expressive intentions'.