Output details

Kiru: work for clarinet, baroque flute, harpsichord and live electronics.

Duration: 15:00.

First Performance: Conservatoire de Strasbourg; Concert - Musica Ambigua, 7/3/2013 ,Adam Starkie (clarinet), Emiliano Gravito (baroque flute) Yoko Yamamoto (harpsichord); Ronan Gil de Morais (sound projection)

Kiru

composition for baroque Flute, clarinet and harpsichord

Kiru is the latest in a series of works dating from 1988 that focuses on the exploration of baroque instruments in contemporary music contexts, more recently manifest in the set of works Again into Light (1999-2004). In addition, this work investigates the potential afforded by sampled material for spontaneous improvisation, following previous exploration of the relationship between fixed and improvised material in the cycle of works ... in memoriam [tribute to Eric Dolphy] (1999-2006), (both submitted for RAE 2008). Kiru (cutting) refers to a technique in the composition of haiku in which ideas or images are split, thereby creating space for interpretation or reflection by the reader. In Kiru (the piece), ‘cuts’ are articulated by sustained electronic textures derived from the live processing of complex gestural material that form the basis of musical discourse, thereby providing points of transition and reflection between a sequence of largely self-contained miniatures. These ‘cuts’ allow for spontaneous and improvised exploration of the sampled material by the sound projectionist who is able to ‘respond’ to what has been performed. The alternation between composed ‘images’ and improvised ‘reflection’ not only mirrors the function of Kiru in a Haiku context but also the alternation of phrases within group improvisation.

The live electronics component in this work is an instance of a prototype generated using the Old Skool Wrappers MaxMSP patch set, which is also included in this REF submission.