Compositions

RESPONSE (2020)

A voice Is heard In Ramah

Love; an ever fixed mark (Sonnet 116)

Flatland by Edwin Abbott Abbott is a novella written to comment on the hierarchy of Victorian culture. The book depicts a two-dimensional world filled with two-dimensional people and because of this has been used, notably by Carl Sagan, as an allegory for examining and explaining extra dimensions.

In Sagan’s metaphor an anthropomorphic square who lives in Flatland is visited by a three-dimensional creature that proceeds to knock the square out of two-dimensional Flatland and into the three-dimensional world of ‘up-down’. The square later floats back down to flatland, affected by his experience, but not quite sure about the place he was just in.
 
twodimensional replicates this idea of being confined to a limited number of dimensions by restricting the use of all but one pitch class, and instead exploring the different ‘dimensions’ of timbre and articulation.


twodimensional

Shine out, fair sun

Charles Baudelaire’s Châtiment de l’Orgueil was the inspiration for this piece. The text comes from his well-known Les Fleurs du Mal and tells the story of a person of high standing who, after grasping too high in a prideful manner, fell from grace to become the lowest of the low. The music attempts to mirror and enhance this sense of culmination of effort followed by collapse. In the opening the strings build a texture of interweaving harmonics that increase in rhythmic and harmonic complexity, this is followed by a brief moment of implied respite, which turns sour and marks the beginning of the chaotic descent. From this moment the strings and percussion break off into a fast paced contrapuntal web culminating in a repetition of the initial material, this time somewhat faulty and with less precision than before, this fades, leaving the voice to finish alone.

Throughout this piece I have made use of the Infinity Series. This was discovered by Per Nørgård in 1959 and is in essence a method of creating an infinite, non-repeating series based off of the skeleton of any mode or scale

Like one who has clambered too high

‘KINTSUKUROI:(Golden Repair)’ is a short orchestral work based on a Japanese form of pottery art in which broken pottery is mended back together with Gold instead of glue. This creates individual, fragile golden seams across the pot as they naturally occurred. In this piece, fleeting and delicate lines encircle the opening above a dark, undulating texture that builds until it suddenly breaks, which resembles the shattering of the pot. We are then placed into a constant and iridescent soundworld reflecting the intentions of the art form; it has been made more beautiful by having been broken.

Performed by RNCM Brand New Orchestra (13/10/16) conducted by Manoj Kamps.

KINTSUKUROI: (Golden Repair) (2016)

‘Double duo’ was composed as a vehicle for performers to have the freedom to explore their own instincts, amid the physical sensation of performing in a resonant space. Durations are chosen by the performers, and entries are guided by position in the score rather than being specifically prescribed. Expression of a phrase is determined by each musician’s reaction to, or inspiration from the other players.

Performed by 
Pietro Roffi - accordion, Italy
Maris Rozenfelds - accordion, Latvia
Ignė Pikalavičiūtė - cello, Lithuania
Arnas Kmieliauskas - cello, Lithuania

Recorded at Raudondvaris Castle, Lithuania during the Composers+Summer Academy on 25 August 2017.

Recording produced by Dainius Kazilionis.

More info at www.composersplus.com.

Joshua Brown – Double Duo (for two accordions and two cellos)

Performed by Festino Chamber Choir (cond. Alexandra Makarova) at 47th Florilège Vocal de Tours, June 2018.

Summons

Winner of BBC Young Composer 2020

TW; Rape/Sexual Assault

This piece was inspired by a twitter thread which contained quotes said from judges to victims in rape trials. All of the phrases heard at the start of the piece are genuine comments made to victims of rape. ‘What I was Wearing’ is a poem by Mary Simmerling which inspired the 2013 art installation ‘What were you wearing?’. The piece uses the words of this poem, read out over the top of sung music. The music represents the speaker’s emotions, to create a moving and thought-provoking piece of music which leaves the listener stunned.

What Were You Wearing? (2020)

A reflection on Rebelo's 'Panis Angelicus'.

A voice Is heard In Ramah

rorywainwrightjohnston

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