Begin Again (2024)

Notes de programme

“In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s there are few”

― Shunryu Suzuki

Quasar has developed a successful method of collaborating. Each composer is invited for a full week of rehearsal at the mid-point of the creative journey, to try things out. This is a rarity in new music, and provides composers with an opportunity to experiment safely, before the public hears the work. I used the workshop to focus on the acoustic score, which was about 90% finished at the time.  The workshop turned out to be especially important for me, as it inspired me to pursue a totally different direction on the composition of the electronics than I had anticipated.  It is better to approach a composition with a set of questions, rather than a set of answers. “What is possible here?” is far more interesting to me than “this is what I planned to do here”. Quasar’s workshop provided  an opportunity to approach the electronic composition with a fresh ‘beginners mind’.

In the acoustic score, I write for saxophone quartet almost like it is an acoustic analogue of a synthesizer, capable of voicings, modulations, arpeggiations, and delays. The electronics, which are all fixed as digital sound files, emulate pulsating delay lines, synthesized   and sampled tones, and various classic EA sounds such as sine tones, trains, sirens, whales, and bees. Some of these sounds are personal easter-eggs of sorts, borrowed from previous EA works  (the whale is featured in Blackwood Sketches, and the bee in Orion Constellation Theory). There is also a vocal appearance by my friend and musical collaborator Dani Oore, who helped me find my beginners mind at a critical time in the creative process.  This work is written for Quasar, and dedicated to Dani.

Compositeur

Année de composition

(2024)

Concerts par oeuvres

Représentations

Saison Date Concert Membre(s)
2023-24 Série Électro 9e édition Quasar