John Burge

Commissioner: Music at Port Milford Summer School and Festival through funds provided by Philip and Patricia Knox.

Premiere: Music at Port Milford String Orchestra, Michael Newnham, conductor, St. Margaret’s Church, Picton, ON, August 7, 2016.

Duration: 9' 30"

Performance materials: It is anticipated that this movement will become one of the movements of THE PORT MILFORD SUITE for string orchestra.  The other two movements will be premiered by the Music at Port Milford String Orchestra in 2017 and 2018 respectively.  Until the complete work is finished and the work is deposited in the Canadian Music Centre, please contact John Burge directly for performance materials.

Video: A parent of one of the students in the Music at Port Milford Summer School String Orchestra posted this video of the premiere performance of At Water's Edge, August 7, 2016, on YouTube [what might be missing in tuning is made up for with energy]:

Program Note: At Water’s Edge was commissioned by Philip and Patricia Knox for the Music at Port Milford Summer School String Orchestra in 2015 under the stipulation that the work be premiered in the summer of 2016 and that they be able to provide the title for this single movement work and potentially even inspire its mood and style. The Music at Port Milford Summer School is located on the shores of Lake Ontario in the beautiful Prince Edward County and the Knox’s have a home that is very close to the Summer School that they have named “Water’s Edge.” This wonderfully evocative title met with the immediate approval of the composer, John Burge, who had served as Chair of the board of this wonderful organization from 2012-2015. 2016 also happened to coincide with Music at Port Milford’s 30th anniversary of exceptional teaching of chamber music to adolescents in this wonderfully enriching environment.

The resultant movement really has no specific program or story but for those wanting a tangible connection between the music and the point of inspiration, the following description is provided.  The piece begins and ends with gentle rocking chords in the lower strings capturing the lapping of waves on shore generated by a soft wind or boat’s wake.  Against these chords, melodic fragments can be heard in the first violins that give an internal perspective to the moment, perhaps capturing someone engaged in both the observing and listening to the water’s movement or actually wading into its refreshing coolness.  The interplay between the water and other leisure activities increases as the music gets louder and more animated before receding back to moments of subdued calmness.