These four short pieces, though simple on the surface, all give glimpses in miniature of the technical ideas which characterise Birtwistle’s larger works. Ostinato with Melody, dedicated to Boulez on his 75th birthday in 2000 and first performed on that very day, superimposes a cantabile melody over the characteristic device of a constantly-changing ostinato. Written in the same year, Betty Freeman: Her Tango was an 80th birthday present for his American friend and supporter, Betty Freeman, a pa...

Ostinato with Melody - Betty Freeman: Her Tango - Saraband: The King’s Farewell - Oockooing Bird