TRANS-ATLANTIC TRIPTYCH

Transatlantic Triptych is a Gesamtkunstwerk, based upon prose, poems and photographs created by the composer whilst on the Queen Mary II, travelling from Southampton to New York in July 2011.
It is a modular piece: simultaneously a three-movement sonata and a set of three independent pieces. Therefore it can be performed either in part, or as a whole. Conceived of as a companion piece to 'The Door of No Return', it shares similar structures and themes - but also provides a number of contrasts. Both pieces explore crossing the Atlantic Ocean - but in radically different vessels. In 'The Lost Tribe', 'Trans-Atlantic Triptych' explores the fate of the Lenni Lenape, the indigenous inhabitants of Manhattan; whilst in 'The Door of No Return', it is the fate of African slaves on the Caribbean Island of Antigua that forms the focal point of the central movement.
'Blue Sahara Crossing' contains a perpetuum mobile - shared between the string player (viola or violin) and the pianist - which depicts the constant wave motion of the Atlantic Ocean. This can be seen in the cover photograph on Score no. 1 (the viola score). 'The Lost Tribe' is an aria for two voices, interspersed with piano ritornelli. 'The Great Circle', completed in 2023, is a bittersweet reflection on love and loss, explored through the metaphor of sailing southward, away from the midnight sun, and arriving at the gateway to the Promised Land of America, the Verrazzano Narrows Bridge (shown on the cover of Score no. 2).
Trans-Atlantic Triptych contemplates both the hardships of the transatlantic crossing for European immigrants in previous centuries - and the resulting pain of colonial invasion for the Lenni Lenape - and the composer's contrasting contemporary experience of sailing to New York on a modern luxury cruise ship, which created unusual space in her life for literary creativity and reflection.
The Great Circle was commissioned by NAVO Trio & The University of Kansas, USA - supported by the Wunsch New Music Fund - to whom the composer is extremely grateful.
Blue Sahara Crossing, The Lost Tribe & The Great Circle have been performed on fifteen occasions in the USA & UK, since first publication in mid-2022.

Contents
• The Writings (Crossing the Blue Sahara, The Lost Tribe & Unauthorized Departure of a Busy Old Fool)
• Commissioners' Page
• Composer Biography & Licence
• Blue Sahara Crossing
• The Lost Tribe
• The Great Circle
Trans-Atlantic Triptych is multi-instrumentally composed. Modelled on the Oboe, Viola & Piano, it was, however, composed with other instruments in mind. The alternative woodwind instruments are the Flute (with B-foot), Clarinet in Bb or Soprano Saxophone; the alternative string instrument is the Violin. Please note that the Violin and Viola have separate scores. The alto-clef score is Score no. 1, whilst the treble-clef score is Score no. 2. The woodwind parts are identical in both scores.

• Blue Sahara Crossing
• The Lost Tribe
• The Great Circle

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