ABSTRACT
Ades's emphasis on Electronic Dance Music (EDM) ought not to obscure the symphonic aspects of 'Ecstasio'. Ecstasio' is thus characterised by its precarious balance between the foreground trappings of EDM and certain musical developmental processes associated with the symphonic genre. To hear EDM as the guiding stylistic topic of 'Ecstasio' requires at least two conceptual leaps, for 'Ecstasio''s sounds are orchestral rather than electronically generated, and it was not intended for dancing to. The opening of 'Ecstasio', therefore, both alludes to and distorts EDM norms. Formal nods to EDM archetypes are accompanied by similar allusions in the material. The coda differs significantly from EDM norms. Rather than offer relatively neutral material that enables tracks to be mixed together more easily, the coda presents a continuation of the directed harmonic motion of bars 157–172. It is through a cataclysmic effort that the music wrenches itself away from the underlying EDM framework in preparation for the final movement.
