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Simon Holt: a table of noises (North American premiere)
Simon Holt was born in Bolton, Lancashire, United Kingdom. He composed a table of noises in 2007. The
February 10 performance marks the North American première of the work. It runs approximately 30 minutes
in performance, and is scored for solo percussion, 2 piccolos, alto flute, 3 oboes, E-flat clarinet, bass clarinet, contrabassoon, 3 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, percussion, harp, celeste, and orchestral strings.
In a table of noises, Simon Holt decided to use only instruments that could be
placed on a table-top at which the performer sits, together with a xylophone placed
alongside. The idea of gathering the solo instruments on a table-top in turn
reminded Holt of a figure of his Lancashire childhood, his Great-uncle Ash, a
taxidermist (among other things) who was severely disabled and so kept everything
essential to him close at hand on the parlour table. Holt’s memories of his greatuncle
provide the titles of the main movements.
Thus, the first movement is called “jute”, which is what he “would stuff the animal
skins with”. The second main movement is “fly”, “the name of his dog, who used to
fall asleep standing up, staring into the fire”. The title of the third main movement,
“a drawer full of eyes”, refers to the occasion when “my mother opened a drawer in
Ash’s bedroom tallboy and discovered thousands of false eyes for foxes, kingfishers,
stoats, etc, staring back at her”. in turn, the idea of artificial eyes brought memories
of “skennin’ Mary”, “my great-uncle’s neighbour who had a glass eye which would
spin when she got angry, hence her nickname” (“skennin’” means “looking”).
Holt originally planned to include a rhythmic cadenza accompanied by different
groups from within the orchestra playing in their own time. Subsequently he decided
to separate out four of these accompanying modules as short, subdued interludes
between the main sections, with the title of “ghost”. However, a fifth “ghost”, a single
line for low bass clarinet, survives as a freely coordinated counterpoint to the
cadenza. As for the title of “table top”, Holt explains that Ash’s “parlour table was
covered with items essential for his existence.” A similarly vivid memory of Ash
inspired the title of the final movement, “under glass”: this “was where a lot of his
stuffed animals ended up.”
Programme Note by Anthony Burton
© Copyright 2010 Toronto Symphony Orchestra