Marilyn
Marilyn was commissioned by Leigh Baker for Carlton Main Frickley Colliery Band’s 2014 Brass in Concert programme and takes its inspiration from the twenty Andy Warhol prints of Marilyn Monroe, which fused together two of his most consistent themes: death and the cult of celebrity.
Marilyn draws inspiration from the ever-changing life of Marilyn Monroe. The mood swiftly shifts between fast-paced, pounding rhythms, jazz-influenced phrases, and sultry melodies, to introspective soliloquies.
The screenprints (produced by the layering of colours) are musically illustrated by sections of the music being superimposed across one another, creating polyrhythms and polytonality. Similarly, the differences between colour and monochrome, vitality and mortality are also prevalent throughout the work, with constant contrasts in tempi and dynamics.
There are several recurring themes throughout the piece, including the opening cornet melody (based on the blues scale) and two short melodic fragments derived from the letters MARILYN.
The final note represents Marilyn’s solo voice, heard long after the tumult and focusing on an untimely, thoughtful conclusion.
The piece features on the Prima Vista Musikk CD, Definity.