Sunset at Sea – A Conversation Between Composer and Conductor
As we launch our 2025–26 season, in our concert on November 29th 2025, Artistic Director Laurence Perkins brings audiences a shimmering, water-themed programme — from Telemann’s Baroque Water Music to Wagner’s Siegfried Idyll and a brand-new work composed especially for the orchestra: Sunset at Sea by Dominic McGonigal.
Ahead of its premiere, Laurence sat down with Dominic to discuss the inspiration, sound world and creative process behind the piece.
The Inspiration: Still Waters and Setting Suns
“The inspiration comes from the sea,” Dominic begins, “and two vivid memories in particular.”
The first is from his childhood, spent near Swanage and Purbeck on the Dorset coast. “At Chapman’s Pool, on a clear day, the water is absolutely still — beautifully clear, almost glasslike. I wanted to capture that stillness.”
The second image comes from the west coast of Ireland, where Dominic has spent time mesmerised by spectacular sunsets. “You can watch the sun drop slowly into the ocean — it’s not so much the image as the colour and the structure of that slow, inevitable movement that fascinates me. Sunset at Sea is shaped around that sense of calm, spacious transformation.”
Influences: From Debussy to Polyphony
Laurence notes that the piece sits comfortably among great sea-inspired works — from Debussy’s La Mer to Vaughan Williams’ Sea Symphony — yet sounds entirely original.
Dominic explains: “I’m a magpie when it comes to musical influences. I might borrow structure from Bach, the richness of Shostakovich, or the textures of Janáček — but it’s the architecture of music that matters most to me. I love polyphony: the counterpoint between lines, the dialogue between instruments.”
That fascination shines through in Sunset at Sea, a work teeming with subtle exchanges and layered textures. “The joy of writing for Sheffield Chamber Orchestra,” he says, “is the clarity between strings, wind and brass. Themes are passed — an oboe line to the violins, a ripple to the flutes, then to the horns. It’s like watching sunlight move across the water.”
Laurence agrees: “There are beautiful ‘ripples’ in your writing — little figures that create waves within the music. It’s a sound world that’s as visual as it is musical.”
Crafting the Sound of the Sea
“I’ve created quite rich textures with just a few instruments,” Dominic explains. “By overlapping layers — like waves meeting — you get depth as well as motion.”
For Sunset at Sea, he’s written for double wind, two horns, two trumpets and strings — an ideal balance for his transparent, fluid writing. The result is a piece that glows with colour and clarity, evoking both the stillness and the majesty of the ocean.
The piece will become a movement of a larger work-in-progress – a Sea Symphony. “Sunset at Sea is actually the third movement,” Dominic says. “The next one is called Tide — a majestic finale where the sea builds into a great swell. I’ve got sketches for it in my notebook — and yes, it includes a tuba!”
From Composition to Performance
Asked how it feels to hear his music performed for the first time, Dominic smiles: “It’s nerve-racking! Like performing, except you have no control. But the moment you hear real musicians bring it to life — that’s the magic.”
For both composer and conductor, this premiere marks a special moment. “Hearing Sunset at Sea in rehearsal for the first time,” says Laurence, “reminds us of what makes live music so special — the interaction, the energy, the discovery.”
As Sheffield Chamber Orchestra prepares to share this evocative new work with audiences, Sunset at Sea promises to be a highlight of a season celebrating creativity, connection, and the ever-changing tides of musical imagination.
Concert: Saturday 29 November 2025, All Saints Church, Ecclesall Programme includes: Telemann Water Music, Wagner Siegfried Idyll, Ruth Gipps Seascape, Mendelssohn Die Schöne Melusine, Sterndale Bennett The Naiades, Strauss II Nordseebilder, and the world premiere of Dominic McGonigal’s Sunset at Sea.