COMMISSIONS & PERFORMANCES
Sorrow
for Art Comes Alive
Premiered 3rd December 2023 in Bristol UK, through a surround sound speaker system, as part of the project Art Comes Alive. Visual artists responded live to Sorrow, and the music by the 7 other composers.
The piece starts off the musical journey, centring around ‘believing a dream can never come true and that there is no point in trying to achieve it’.
Long, ambient synth pads are used to create an all encompassing and heavy soundworld, and low pitches to reflect the depths of despair, while also incorporating high piercing sounds to represent intense anguish.
The piece is electronic which creates a sense of detachedness from reality and that we are not yet on the right path.
Dance with a Crocodile
for Contemporary Music Venture
Commissioned for a concert on the theme 'Bristol and Protest'. Premiered 21st March 2023 in Bristol UK, performed by Contemporary Music Venture ensemble.
Interpreting the theme Bristol and Protest, Dance with a Crocodile is written as a response to the artwork Reading the Riot (Act), by Graeme Evelyn; a testament to the musical heritage born out of refusal to conform to unfair and unethical practices.
The artwork presents imagery, predominantly referencing the 1831 Reform Riots, in the form of a vinyl record, symbolising the cyclical nature and consequences of ignored or buried history. Capturing the essence of Evelyn’s ideas and concepts, the piece draws on the imagery of the dancing couple as forces of justice and oppression, whilst hinting at the melting pot of influences to the music in Bristol.
Kaleidoscope
Premiered 23rd June 2021 in Birmingham UK. Performed as part of a concert of electroacoustic works, Kaleidoscope was diffused live through the renowned system of loudspeakers, the Birmingham Electroacoustic Sound Theatre (BEAST). The concert was broadcast via livestream, now available on YouTube (Kaleidoscope featured from 00:25:30).
The idea of the music being organised like a ‘kaleidoscope’ presented itself early on in the compositional process, reflecting its meaning with the distinct collections of sounds shifting and combining in multiple ways, producing a variety of viewpoints. This occurs throughout, with certain elements being foreshadowed and other parts being combined with different material in new contexts. It has a complexity that is non-exhaustive allowing for infinite possibilities.
Headphone or stereo loudspeaker listening recommended.