I absolutely love the childhood magic that John Singer Sargent’s Carnation Lily Lily Rose captures.
The piece begins with the sounds of a garden at twilight. Field recordings I made of cicadas in France are tuned with thick layers of Flute, Cello and other harmonic drones to set the scene.
Next, the girls are handed their delicate lanterns. They hold them with care, as they could rip or catch fire. A simple piano motif scores their guarded inquisitiveness.
As the girls gain confidence, swapping lanterns and moving around the garden, a solo cello picks up the melody. The music continues to build as the girls’ imagination goes into overdrive. Notes swirl around as they dance through the garden, lifting their lanterns above their heads.
As we reach a crescendo, soaring strings take over and the lanterns lift off into the night sky. The girls stand completely still, in wonderment at the rising lights.
As the lights fade into the distance, the twilight sounds and piano return to bring us back to reality and the girls find themselves standing alone once more in the garden.
Mike Bamford, May 2022
View the painting that inspired this piece here:
Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose, 1885–6. John Singer Sargent. Photo © Tate.
www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/sargent-carnation-lily-lily-rose-n01615
from
Stills 02,
released May 27, 2022
Composed and arranged by Mike Bamford
Bratislava Symphonic Orchestra, recorded at Slovak Radio Building
BSO conducted by David Hernando Rico
Solo piano performed by Mike Bamford
Solo cello performed by Leo Popplewell, recorded at String and Tins
Mastered by Emre Ramazanoglu