Duet for Harp and Bassoon
Performed by Anne-Marie O'Farrell(Pedal Harp) and John Hearne(Bassoon)

Programme Notes:

Palpitations is a piece exploring the embodied sensation of affection. The feeling frequently described as ‘butterflies in your stomach’, is portrayed in the music through a series of tremolo patterns decorated by key clicks and aeolian sounds. This is followed by a short passage in strict 4/4 with harp harmonics, offering a brief moment of respite and clarity. This is quickly undermined by the following section characterized by continuous changes in temperament, as feelings of confusion, anxiety and vulnerability become manifest. As such, the music never really settles in on a specific ‘mood’ or ‘feeling’, but instead avoids confrontation through a series of abrupt changes in dynamics, texture and rhythm. The piece ends with an almost exact repetition of the opening material, suggesting that these string of emotions form a ‘never ending’ cycle. A pattern that must be broken by acknowledging and embracing our feelings rather than avoiding them, or worse burying them deep inside of us. Indeed, the pattern breaks when a minor 3rd interval is heard for the first time in the tremolo figures and the music gradually disintegrates into complete silence.

Palpitations (2022)

Megrim was made in collaboration with choreographer Shea Sullivan and saxophonist Lydia Kenny for LCDS 2022: Music Collaborations - for the dance piece Emanations of Disfigurement involving six dancers, a sculpture (Desiccated) by Farrah Fawcett, dancing soprano saxophone player and electronics.

Almost the entirety of the track is made from soprano saxophone samples recorded by Lydia, alongside some synths.

Megrim (dance track for Emanations Of Disfigurement)

00.00 till 1.44 to experience the short-circuit

realised and created with special thanks to S. Castaño

soundscape - EEG DATA - disconnected - CAN NOT COMPUTE, realised thanks to S. Castaño

BURPY BAPE

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