Behold, Thou Art Fair

heartbreak in vegas

Composed by Robin Morton
Performed by the Carnelian Saxophone Quartet.

If anyone steals a hawk kept under key

This extract performed by Robin Morton and Emily Levy.

"Love Song" was performed live on Friday 3rd March 2017 at Eastside Projects, Digbeth, Birmingham at the event Musik von 2017.

A sonic tapestry of interwoven love songs was unfolded by four singers at microphones set around the space, at first planned and carefully chosen to harmonise. As the live performances mixed with pre-recorded versions creating an increasingly complex polyphony, new songs were introduced which diverged further and further from their original harmonic cohesion. As the sonic experience became a cacophony of shattered shards of love songs ricocheting round the ample acoustic, audience members were invited up to the microphones to add love songs of their own to the mix, whilst others still were caught up in an infectious acoustic strain of 'Love, Love Me Do'.

An abrupt silence was followed by the reading of the poem 'The Day Before Your Birthday' by Robin Morton.

At the close of the poem, Roché Van Tiddens performed an electronic improvisation using the pre-recorded songs and collected sound, utilising the spatial setting of the four speakers surrounding the audience mirroring the original four soloists, distorting and distilling the songs into fluid streams of sound, seeming to send the spirits of the songs careening around the room and out through the roof.

"Love Song" was devised by Robin Morton as a response to the many conflicting love songs lodged in and ricocheting around our minds, influencing our decisions and self-reflections about love.

The performers included:

Robin Morton (var.)
Emily Levy (trad.)
James Oldham (Aretha Franklin)
Dani Blanco Albert (trad. Catalan)
Roché Van Tiddens (electronics)
Attendees at 'Musik von 2017'.

Thanks to Leo Lobrev for providing original artwork which was used on cards handed to the audience in order to encourage them to add their own love songs to the mix.

Love Song (extract ft. Robin Morton and Emily Levy)

"hibakusha" is a Japanese word meaning survivor of a nuclear attack.

Represents all 3000+ nuclear tests and attacks which have been conducted throughout the world, and the several disasters greater than 5 on the International Nuclear Event Scale.

One second = one month.

The regular beat every three seconds represents the changing of the seasons.

The eight nations which have conducted known nuclear tests are represented by a different pitch, beginning with the USA and ending with North Korea. Each instrument represents a different part of the world in which tests were conducted.

In this piece the world's regions and ecosystems seem to react to each individual test with indignation.

Composed by Robin Morton.
Performed by Royal Birmingham Conservatoire's Gamelan Ensemble, 14th March 2018.