chamber ensemble (fl (dbl. picc), cl, alto sax, pf, perc, vn, vc)
Commissioned and premiered by soundinitiative, cond. Leonhard Garms
This work, an homage to the French ‘spectralist’ tradition, brings together my interests in non-Western vocal traditions — in this case, Mongolian throatsinging (‘khoomei’ is the deepest of the three styles of throatsinging) — with a kind of looping, imitative structure that hints at various kinds of electronic treatments. A voice-like quality permeates the instrumental writing, while the constant ‘recirculant delay line’ of the structure creates a slowly shifting organic texture reminiscent of Tristan Murail’s masterpiece Mémoire/Érosion.
This work was commissioned and premiered by soundinitiative, with funding from Victoria University of Wellington.
Score extract:
