Output details

5 Pieces

This on-going series of works explores the physicality of music making, and explicitly acknowledges the physical presence of the performers and the dramatization of both the physical and musical gesture. The emphasis in these works, thus, is not solely on creating ‘absolute’ musical meaning from a score; meaning, rather, is located from within the interaction of the audible, visual, and physical which can only be manifested through performance.

In this series of works commissioned (non-fee) by Duo OnePlusOne, Casswell explores the theatrical potential of performers who play the accordion and the melodica. He is interested in exploring the physical presence of performers on stage, and in the actual physicality of musical performance, rather than focussing purely on abstract musical compositional processes. 5 Pieces also explores the cultural associations that particular genres of music have and at times also uses spoken dialogue to emphasize musical content. An important aspect of the pieces are the way in which, by enabling the musicians to use physical and dramatic gesture as an additional process in the musical performance, a piece’s overall communicative feeling is enhanced. 5 Pieces are best viewed within the context of Instrumental Theatre.

The series was also performed at a Latvian composer’s convention as examples of new work for Duo OnePlusOne and at UCLan with two dancers as part of the UCLan Pantheatre International Conference.