ALICE IN WONDERLAND

The year 2015 saw the 150th anniversary of the publication of Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, one of the most celebrated works in all children’s literature" Over one-and-a-half centuries it has lost none of its wit, sparkle and surrealism, and indeed none of its popularity, and has shown a huge amount of resilience in the face of a wide variety of adaptations and parodies during those years" I had been meaning for some time to write a larger scale work for Cellophony, hoping in particular to include an external element such as choreography or narration, and when I thought of Alice and subsequently discovered the pending anniversary, the choice was made" Through the piece the narrator covers the full Alice in Wonderland story—but necessarily abridged—and the cellos perform a dual role as musical commentators, through underscoring, and in the foreground in standalone musical numbers" There are nine sections in total, described briefly below:

1. Prologue: Music of Wonderland (cellos only)

This overture presents the musical world of Wonderland, and introduces many of the main character themes that will feature in the story. The more technically curious may be interested to know that the recurring chord sequence A–C–E is derived from the musical letters in Alice’s name, and the same sequence appears melodically in the ‘Wonderland Waltz’ theme at the centre of the movement.

2. Down The Rabbit-Hole

The first part of the story is punctuated by the skittish White Rabbit motif, joined by Alice’s own theme to cascade down to the bottom of the rabbit-hole.

3. Eating and Drinking

Alice’s first view through the keyhole is accompanied by pastoral ‘Garden music’, after which sparse musical commentary accompanies this scene" Alice’s tears at the end of the movement are underscored with her Waltz theme, reharmonised in a melancholy manner.

4. A Pool of Creatures (cellos only)

This purely musical interpretation of animals falling into the pool of tears, and the subsequent nonsensical ‘caucus-race’, is essentially a fantasy on famous animal-related themes" Look out for The Trout, The Cat, The Swan, The Hippopotamus, The Bat and sundry other squeaks and quacks ... with thanks to Schubert, Prokofiev, Rimsky-Korsakov, Saint-Saëns, Flanders & Swann and Johann Strauss for their inspired contributions" It was particularly pleasing to take the Cat theme from Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf, as it is in some ways the closest model for this whole piece.

5. The Cheshire-Cat (narrator only)

6. A Mad Tea-Party (cellos only)

One of the most memorable scenes in the book, in which Alice joins the Mad Hatter and the March Hare (along with a sleepy Dormouse) at a truly surreal tea-party; the music here is light-hearted and jocose, with perhaps a hint of something exotic being added to the teapot.

7. Croquet

The ‘Garden music’ reappears, and the addition of the King and Queen of Hearts to the story, along with their grand entourage, introduces a quirky March theme—which continues underneath descriptions of the events on the Queen’s croquet-lawn.

8. The Mock-Turtle’s Reflections (cellos only)

This brief musical interlude, relating the Mock-Turtle’s memories of a melancholy childhood, uses material from another piece, Mirrors, which was written for Cellophony in the early years of the group’s existence.

9. The Trial

The final scene in Wonderland, followed by Alice’s return to her own summer garden" The cellos play a supporting role until they take over the torrent of the playing cards and then bring the music gently down to the real world" Following the end of the narrated story, they tie up the piece with a swift thematic furry.

One of the great strengths of Carroll’s original text is its universal appeal to readers of all ages (a true mark of great children’s literature); this new piece aims to emulate that broad appeal in a contemporary but accessible musical language" It was enormous fun to write, and I hope it will prove an enjoyable experience for performers and listeners alike.