Duration: 17'30"
Instrumentation: Saxophones (Soprano & Alto, sometimes simultaneously) and Percussion*
* [Quarter-tone Marimba, amplified bamboo tube mounted for breathing, box of wood pieces, box of plastic pieces, box of metal pieces, voice, 3 cymbals]
Notes:
for Michael Straus
Ice, fire, song. These three ancient ideas freely emerge from and dissolve into the evolving, swirling mist of this piece. Glacially paced movement is interrupted by sudden sparks of activity; the sound of breath coats those of saxophone and quartertone marimba; both performers engage in their own primal singing. On a more technical level, this work develops the sonorities of specific saxophone multiphonics, and explores their inherent granularity. It also seeks to capture the experimental natures of both performers. The percussionist explores the wide spectrum of breathing sounds available through an amplified bamboo tube, and the saxophonist sings while playing two saxophones simultaneously. One way of approaching this work is to imagine it as a slowly morphing sculpture in a museum. View it from one angle, then another. Actively contemplate its details, subtleties, and possible meanings.
audio and score samples will be uploaded soon