Night Ferry (composition)


Night Ferry is an orchestral composition in one movement by the British-born composer Anna Clyne. The work was commissioned by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, for which Clyne was then composer-in-residence. It was first performed February 9, 2012 at Symphony Center, Chicago by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under conductor Riccardo Muti. A live performance by the BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Andrew Litton was recorded at the Barbican Hall in January 2013 and issued along with four other Clyne works in 2020.

Composition

Night Ferry has a duration of roughly 20 minutes and is composed in a single movement. The work was Clyne's second commission from the Chicago Symphony as composer-in-residence and her second fully orchestral composition.

Inspiration

At the behest of a suggestion from conductor Riccardo Muti, Clyne looked for inspiration from the composer Franz Schubert who suffered from a type of mood disorder known as cyclothymia. Clyne described this disorder and its inspiration for Night Ferry in the score program notes, writing:
She added, "In its essence, Night Ferry is a sonic portrait of voyages; voyages within nature and of physical, mental and emotional states." Additionally, the title of the piece is from the Irish poet Seamus Heaney's Elegy for the author Robert Lowell, who also suffered from manic depression.
While composing the work, Clyne simultaneously painted a series of seven large canvasses for cross-inspiration. She later wrote:

Instrumentation

The work is scored for an orchestra comprising two flutes, piccolo, two oboes, cor anglais, two clarinets one in eb, bass clarinet, two bassoons, contrabassoon, four horns, three trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani, three percussionists, harp, piano, and strings.

Reception

Reviewing the world premiere, Lawrence A. Johnson of The Classical Review called Night Ferry "a powerful, compelling work displaying the freshness and individuality of the greatly gifted Clyne" and wrote, "...this is an undeniably impressive debut for the 31-year-old composer, especially considering this is only her second work for orchestra." Although somewhat disappointed by the premiere, John von Rhein of the Chicago Tribune later remarked that the piece had grown on him. In 2014, he wrote, "The score's roiling strings, jabbing brass and delicate Tibetan singing bowls now come together with an expressive impact I didn't feel at the premiere."