DECOUPLING: 1 - For Solo Double Bass
Composed & Performed by: Sam Pugh

DECOUPLING: 1

https://youtu.be/Gp14Z2BrLXg

CORPUS is an organism created through sound and movement. The installation focuses on depicting the brain, the heart, and the lungs, and is inspired by the almost unfathomable complexity of how all living beings biologically operate. 

CORPUS creates an opportunity for the audience to become observers within the central and peripheral nervous systems of an organism created in the performance space. Players become kinetic pieces of art, taking the role of red blood cells. By walking around and passing each other by (with or without interaction), they symbolise the movement of blood supply to the organs. Without this almost constant moving state, CORPUS would cease to exist.

This installation is inspired by aleatory and stochastic processes, and the audience is invited, and strongly recommended, to explore the space both visually and aurally to decipher the puzzles presented within the music.

This work was presented as my final assessment of my MMus in Composition at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance.

This piece was premiered on Friday, 10th June 2022 at Blackheath Halls, London, by the following musicians:

Flute — Hania Woźniak
Oboe — Vivien Króner
Clarinet in Bb — Mattia Zamperoni
Bass Clarinet in Bb — Cristina Fugazzotto 
Bassoon — Georgina Taylor
Tenor Saxophone in Bb — Ashley Brand 
Horn in F — Nivanthi Karunaratne 
Trumpet in Bb — Euan Holwill
Trombone — Owain Davies-McCrorie 
Tuba in Eb — Lewis Chinn
Harp — Imogen Emmett 
Percussion 1 — Cameron Reed 
Percussion 2 — Filippo Ferruggiara 
Percussion 3 — Dominic Daggett
Violin 1 — Diego Coral Hernandez 
Violin 2 — Kornélia Nemcová 
Viola — Andrew Liddell
Cello — Rebecca Burden
Double Bass — Alexander Ferkey

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Production Team:
Crew and Stage Management — George Lewis and Daniel Gray
Spatial Recording and Filming — Benjamin Burnett, Kornélia Nemcová, Ben Leigh-Grosart and Kit Venables
Stopwatch Assistants — Shaye Poulton-Richards, Joshua Kaye, Harry Weir, Alex Cho, Martha Clayton, Rosie Brighton
Audience Recording — Sam Pugh and Franklyn Oliver
Mixing and Mastering — Sam Pugh

CORPUS: a sound sculpture — for chamber ensemble (2022)

THE ILLUSION OF WITCHCRAFT

This soundscape delves into the dark history of witchcraft on the island of Jersey, creating an unsettling atmosphere that depicts the horrific trials and torture faced by the convicted witches. Manipulating sounds from the original sculpture of the same name, designed by Mike Woods in 2006; the soundscape portrays the unsettling journey of these accused individuals, evoking emotions of fear, injustice and mystery.

"...it is therefore strictly forbidden to all the inhabitants of this island to receive any counsel or assistance in their adversities from any witches or diviners, or anyone suspected of practising sorcery, under pain of one month's imprisonment in the castle on bread and water..."
"...i cannot say there are no witches, but since the difficulty of convicting them has been recognised in the Island, they all seem to have disappeared, as though the evidence of time gone by had been but an illusion..."

THE ILLUSION OF WITCHCRAFT

Sam Pugh is a contemporary composer and double bassist from Watford, England currently studying composition and performance at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance for my Master’s degree. His compositions showcase a unique style, using intricate harmonies and rhythmic complexity, and drawing inspiration from a range of classical, experimental, and electronic music; always working to push the boundaries of contemporary classical music through his performances and compositions.

DECOUPLING: 1

Sam Pugh

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