Finishing Orchestrating Loving Pairs
- Dominic McGonigal
- Jul 17
- 1 min read
Friday, 17th of July 2026
I have just finished orchestrating Loving Pairs, two days before the deadline. It was such a joy pairing the instruments, creating different sounds and thinking of the musicians who will enjoy playing this.
Loving Pairs is a love song for orchestra, with the players pairing up to express different forms of love - agape, eros, philia, storge. Each pair of instruments creates its own sound with a lyrical melody that dances between the instruments. The romantic melody appears in different modes, giving love its rainbow of colour. Between each iteration of the melody, the instruments converse in pairs in anticipation of the next love type. With a full symphony orchestra, there is a seemingly endless palette of textures – pairs of flutes, oboes, violins, horns, trumpets, culminating in a warm finale celebrating love. The rich harmonies produce a luscious sound allowing love to blossom in all its forms.
Comments