solo piano
Commissioned and premiered by Stephen de Pledge
In the book Consciousness Explained, Daniel Dennett argues that there is nothing about human consciousness, emotion or experience that cannot be encompassed by a purely physical, biological and mechanical explanation. We do not need to refer to a “soul” or “mind's eye” to describe our experiences. We are, in short, machines — just very clever machines.
These three miniatures push the performer to the physical limits, in imitation of the mechanistic (if not entirely functional) processes with their conflicting pulse streams. Yet, the performer has to “search within” the morass of notes to find the inherent energy and musicality, and to unlock the song of the machine.
Score extract:
