programme note:

❝distance changes utterly when you take the world on foot. a mile becomes a long way, two miles literally considerable, ten miles whopping, fifty miles AT THE VERY LIMITS OF CONCEPTION… life takes on a neat simplicity, too. time ceases to have any meaning. when it is dark, you go to bed, and when it is light again you get up, and everything in between is just in between… you exist in a tranquil tedium, serenely beyond the reach of exasperation. all that is required of you is a willingness to trudge. there is no point in hurrying because you are not actually going anywhere. however far or long you plod,
you are always in the same place… it’s where you were yesterday, where you will be tomorrow… every bend in the path presents a prospect indistinguishable from every other, every glimpse into the trees the same tangled mass. for all you know, your route could describe a very large, pointless circle. in a way, it would hardly matter.❞ - Bill Bryson.

the theme of this piece is based on distance, and my personal struggles with returning to my birthplace of jersey in the channel islands, during each of the u.k. national lockdowns. because i have no access to a car, and because public transport is running so sporadically, i am practically marooned within my own home. however, once a day, i walk to the nearby coastline for a walk and look out onto the horizon to see if i can spot any of the other islands, or france. this piece describes the juxtaposition of having two places that are called ‘home’, and the yearning to travel beyond geographical and psychological horizons – back to the u.k., and back to normality.

this piece was composed in february 2021 for the daryl runswick composition competition, where it was workshopped for the finals and performed by the trinity laban contemporary music group, conducted by Gregory Rose.

• Recorded, Mixed and Mastered by Kit Venables and Ben Leigh-Grosart

at the very limits of conception

at the very limits of conception — for chamber ensemble (2021)

If you are interested in working with Emily, please email degruchycomposer@gmail.com 🧩💭

Emily has worked with several ensembles & soloists, including the performer-composer Sam Pugh, Terra Invisus, the Carducci Quartet, Sandbox Percussion, the Riot Ensemble, the Hermes Experiment, Transitions Dance Company, the Manchester Contemporary Youth Opera, the Royal Holloway New Music Collective, and the National Centre for Early Music. She has also been commissioned by several cultural organisations, including Jersey Heritage, ArtHouse Jersey and Art for Guernsey.

Born and raised in Jersey, Channel Islands, traditional Jèrriais culture often influences her compositions, providing a unique amalgamation of French and British sonorities. In recent years, her career has moved towards sonic art and soundscapes, which has led her to collaborate with and compose for cultural heritage and charity organisations - something that she enjoys deeply, and has aimed to bring her prior experiences from working with many professional ensembles back home to Jersey.

at the very limits of conception — for chamber ensemble (2021)

Emily de Gruchy