From Fire By Fire was inspired by Eliot’s Four Quartets, with the name taken from the “dove descending” lyric (Little Gidding, IV). The title also reflects the experience of the composer during the work’s composition, in which process and content became enmeshed in a way that was at times unsettling and uncomfortable, with the material seemingly being transformed by some life of its own. Again, Eliot describes this creative process in Burnt Norton, V and East Coker, V “…Trying to learn to use words …”
The work has been edited for this 2024 version, with reconsideration of doublings and adjustments to time signatures for the sake of clarity and consistency. In addition, the altissimo notes originally written to give expression to the original first horn player’s exceptional range are now provided as ossia parts and the primary notes have been standardised.

N.B. This is the score purchase page, to hire the score and parts click HERE

Duration: 18:00