Score
Emergence from darkness : for harp / Bruce Crossman.
Library shelf no. 787.95/CRO 1 [Available for loan]
Work Overview
Structurally and emotionally the music is about an emergence from darkness-the almost inaudible sounds and tensions arising from violent atmospheres into stronger utterances. The dirty 'blues-like' sounds that perforate the music come from rapidly changing pedal positions whilst a note is in play to create textural roughness and are complimented by single sliding notes as melodic emphasis devices. These colours span out into an array of colouristic techniques including Korean gayageum flicking techniques and Japanese koto grace-note gestures to energize both single notes and melodic phrases. What emerges in the work, from the opening cluster sounds, is the revealing of Japanese Gagaku-based sonorities and sadly arching melodic phrases, that sit still and aching in the air but ruptured by bluesy fragments. The Yokohama skyline and its sudden juxtaposition of shapes that allow for the flow of peoples through the city inspired the structure of the music. In the music, near silent sounds gradually emerge, reappear and end the work amid denser sections that suddenly emerge in a series of juxtapositions; here the musical flow through time moves into sudden emergences of emotion and cathartic sound as its point.
Work Details
Year: 2015
Instrumentation: Harp.
Duration: 15 min.
Difficulty: Advanced — Advanced — Complex rhythmic detail and changing colour nuances
Dedication note: Dedicated to Akira Kobayashi
Commission note: Commissioned by Akira Kobayashi.
First performance: 17 Dec 15. Aichi University of the Arts, Japan, as part of a Collaborator residency.
The composer notes the following styles, genres, influences, etc associated with this work:
Korean gayageum and Japanese koto gestures; Japanese architectural flow concepts; Martin, Medeski and Wood free form improvisation
Winner of an Australia-Japan Foundation grant
Commissioned by Akira Kobayashi for performance at Aichi University of the Arts, Japan as part of a Collaborator residency. Both Aichi University of the Arts and the Australian Commonwealth through the Australia-Japan Foundation, which is part of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, supported the residency
Subjects
- Influenced by: Korean culture
- Influenced by: Japanese culture
Performances of this work
17 Dec 15: Aichi University of the Arts, Japan, as part of a Collaborator residency.
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