ROCO’s livestreamed In Concert series continued Saturday, November 14, 2020 from The Church of St. John the Divine with “Oceans”, a nature-inspired program featuring the orchestra—conductorless!

Celebrating Beethoven’s 250th birthday, the concert featured the U.S. premiere of composer Anna Clyne’s newest work, STRIDE, for string orchestra—a ROCO co-commission, with the Australian Chamber Orchestra, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, and Lausanne Chamber Orchestra.

In writing this piece, the composer was inspired by a theme she couldn’t get out of her head, the “striding”, grooving bass line of Beethoven’s “Pathetique” Piano Sonata No. 8.

In the composer’s words: “I chose a few melodic, rhythmic and harmonic fragments … and developed these into the three corresponding sections of STRIDE. The title is derived from the octave leaps that stride in the left hand in the [opening of the sonata’s first movement]. I was immediately drawn to the driving energy of this bass movement and have used it as a tool to propel STRIDE.”

Listen for how Anna creatively continues to transform the themes throughout the piece, shifting keys and moods, expressing through her own rhythmic and harmonic language the indomitable spirit and sweeping drama of Beethoven’s music.

Recorded live November 14, 2020, at The Church of St. John the Divine, Houston, TX.

Videography by Blueprint Film Co.