A Life in a Day was commissioned and premiered by the Stradivari Players at the Vancouver Academy of Music, and Joseph Elworthy.
Edward Top composed a four-movement work inspired by Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, each movement portraying a time of day—morning, afternoon, evening, and night. The music shifts between baroque, minimalism, and expressionism, depicting a city waking at dawn, bustling at midday, glowing with neon in the rain, and drifting into dreams or nightmares at night.
The piece has four movements:
1. Morning
At dawn the day starts slow, but soon the city comes to life. People are rushing to catch
the bus or skytrain, others drive erratically in their vehicles. Where are they all going?
2. Afternoon
Wandering through the city, looking for lunch in Chinatown.
3. Evening
In the rainy city, the streets are reflecting neon lights, while commuters are rushing to get home (at least we now know where they're going).
4. Night
Safely asleep at home, the events of the day are buried in a dream, or perhaps a nightmare?