Three Romances for Orchestra
Composed between July-October 2023.

1. I lie here thinking of you [0:00]
2. I see a wild civility [4:59]
3.  When I die, I want your hands on my eyes [11:11]

Composed as a sequel to my Three Instances for Orchestra, the difference between these pieces and its predecessor is exactly in the title (despite the formal similarities: a moderately paced first movement, a fast second movement and a slow third). The Instances are more abstract in their content, besides being composed for a smaller orchestra. The Romances are more explicitly "amoureux", love-struck. 

I preface each movement with a line from a love poem. The first movement, based on "Love Song" by William Carlos Williams, is a yearning address from one lover to another separated by a great distance. The second, from "Delight in Disorder" by Robert Herrick, highlights the beauty of imperfection. The third movement, inspired by Pablo Neruda, brings the cycle to a full circle with death and acceptance.

Love Song – William Carlos Williams
I lie here thinking of you:—
 
the stain of love
is upon the world!
Yellow, yellow, yellow
it eats into the leaves,
smears with saffron
the horned branches that lean
heavily
against a smooth purple sky!
There is no light
only a honey-thick stain
that drips from leaf to leaf
and limb to limb
spoiling the colors
of the whole world—
 
you far off there under
the wine-red selvage of the west!


Delight in Disorder – Robert Herrick 

A sweet disorder in the dress
Kindles in clothes a wantonness;
A lawn about the shoulders thrown
Into a fine distraction;
An erring lace, which here and there
Enthrals the crimson stomacher;
A cuff neglectful, and thereby
Ribands to flow confusedly;
A winning wave, deserving note,
In the tempestuous petticoat;
A careless shoe-string, in whose tie
I see a wild civility:
Do more bewitch me, than when art
Is too precise in every part.


When I die, I want your hands on my eyes – Pablo Neruda 

When I die, I want your hands on my eyes.
I want the light and wheat of your beloved hands to pass their freshness over me once more.
I want to feel the softness that changed my destiny.

I want you to live while I wait for you, asleep.
I want your ears still to hear the wind, I want you to sniff the sea's aroma that we loved together,
to continue to walk on the sand we walk on.

I want what I love to continue to live,
and you whom I love and sang above everything else.
to continue to flourish, full-flowered.

So that you can reach everything my love directs you to.
So that my shadow can travel along in your hair,
so that everything can learn the reason for my song.

Three Romances for Orchestra (2023)

Sketch 2 for Symphony No. 1

Mirror Two Part Invention (2025) for Two Pianos Nicolas Kingman

The Journey for Accordion and String Orchestra (2011)

Audrey

Orchestration: Ravel String Quartet in F Major I. Allegro moderato – très doux

Just for fun, I orchestrated and re-arranged the same melody 70 different ways.

1 Theme, 70 Orchestrations

Orchestration: Henri Dutilleux's "Sur un même accord" from his Trois Préludes (1973–1988)

[midi playback]
premiere to take place at the Royal Academy of Music, London. in the 20-21 academic year.

Manual (2019-20) for solo organ

A recent orchestration of Fripperies and Frazzles. The original version for oboe and piano was the first prize winner of the 4th International Composition Contest, Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Carlos

Fripperies and Frazzles - for oboe and small orchestra

See the score: https://issuu.com/utsyochakraborty/docs/chakraborty_a_concerto_for_piano_and_orchestra

A Concerto for Piano and Orchestra (2020-21) 

1. A Triptych: Prelude - Partita - Toccata I (0:00-10:30)
2. Introduction - Cadenza - Nocturne (10:30-20:05)
3. Finale - Toccata II (20:05-29:12)

to Nicolas Kingman, on his 45th birthday. 

"A Concerto for Piano and Orchestra" was composed between the months of August and December 2020, with revisions being made in January 2021. Writing a concerted piece for piano with orchestra had always been something I wanted to do. After six abortive attempts over a span of 7 years did this piece come along. As time passed, my own conception of the work changed. I wanted to create a piece in which the orchestra had an important role to play and was not just merely accompanying the piano. Each instrumental group is an individual voice, or as Harry Birtwistle says "voices in a football chorus". The piece is laid out in three movements, closely interconnected to each other. The first movement is a Triptych, beginning with a brash and aggressive prelude and then leading into a playful game (thus, partita) before concluding with a rhythmically agile toccata. The second movement, a nocturne, is linked to the previous movement via a cadenza. This movement features a melody, developing slowly in the winds and brass, with commentary from the Piano, percussion and strings, till there is an almost exultant release of energy making that developing melody present itself uninterrupted. This leads directly into the third movement, which transforms the material of the toccata of the first movement into a frantic, jovial dance which dies away in the spirit of the nocturne. 

The work is a 45th birthday present for Nicolas Kingman, with whom I have had some wonderful conversations in music and who "wanted to hear the Piano Concerto quite eagerly!" 


A Concerto for Piano and Orchestra (2020-21)

I am a British composer who specialises in music for theatre and have written several operas and musicals and a ballet. Alongside this runs an interest in writing music for the concert hall and works to date include much chamber music including a string quartet which made the finals of the Chamelion Composers' Competetion in 2000 held at Croydon's Clock Tower, a prize winning opera Fur (1998 Alan Rawsthorne Prize - awarded by the RNCM on graduation), and most recently a Piano Quartet (2006) which won the Primrose Composition Competition awarded by the LCM and has since been shortlisted by SPNM for their shortlist during the 2007 'Call for Scores'. Other music includes much orchestral music including in 1997, Towards the Gates of Heaven (first performed by the RNCM Wind Orchestra conducted by Clark Rundell) a vast tone poem depicting Jesus' resurrection into heaven. Also I have written several works for piano and organ (my two principal instruments) and music for the church. Works in progress include two musicals; 'Sirens' with book and lyrics by Anthony Dowlatshahi and 'Up in Arms' with book and lyrics by Laurence Roman. I graduated with a B Mus (Hons) degree from the RNCM in 1998, having studied Composition with Dr. Anthony Gilbert, and most recently in 2006, I completed a Masters in Theatre Composition at the London College of Music (music faculty of Thames Valley University) studying with Francis Pott and Laurence Roman (formally assistant to Andrew Lloyd Webber at RUG) and was awarded a Pass with Merit. My music can be heard on myspace and youtube also.

Mirror Two Part Invention (2025) for Two Pianos Nicolas Kingman

Nicolas Kingman

Related tracks