after ‘Journey Out of Essex’ by John Clare Op 25
‘The Persistent Reality of Illusion‘ Part IIa (The “John Clare” trilogy)
Instrumentation: Picc/2/2/Cor/2/Bass/2/Contra/4/3/3/1/Harp/ Perc(4)/Timp/Strings
Duration: 24 minutes
Date of Composition: 2011/12
Performance:
Programme Note, further details of this work, and samples of pages of the music, are all available from the score.
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Journey out of Essex
The music references Clare’s account of his walk home to his cottage from the Epping Forest asylum.
“July 18, 1841, Sunday. Felt very melancholy. Went for a walk in the forest in the afternoon.
July 20, Tuesday. Reconnoitred the road the gypsey had taken, and found it a legible one to make a movement; and having only honest courage and myself in my army, I led the way and my troops soon followed.”
“But when I was told it was my second wife, Patty, I got in, and was soon at Northborough. But Mary was not there; neither could I get any information about her further than the old story of her having died six years ago. But I took no notice of the lie, having seen her myself twelve months ago, alive and well, and as young as ever. So here I am homeless at home.”