Work
Want not : for piccolo, percussion, piano/toy piano and cello with found objects
by Samantha Wolf (2018)
Score
Want not : for piccolo, percussion, piano/toy piano and cello with found objects / S. Wolf.
Library shelf no. 785.3414/WOL 1 [Available for loan]
Work Overview
Influenced by environmentalism, minimalism, and extreme frugality, Want Not explores the sonic potential of discarded objects, breathing new life into everyday items that would otherwise become landfill. In the scherzo-like opening, a frying pan, mint packets and leftover construction tiles intermingle with percussive Piano sounds. Aeolian tones on the Piccolo complement the mercurial sounds of the Cello prepared with bulldog clips. Music boxes that had been left to gather dust are showcased alongside a Toy Piano and quarter-tone Kalimba. For the final section, empty bottles supplant the Piccolo, augmenting the ethereal sounds of bowed kitchen bowls and piano strings prepared with single-use plastic forks. Overall, the piece is a journey through an eclectic sound world, whimsical and tender at times, solemn and even sinister at others.
While obviously critical of modern throwaway culture, Want Not also presents a way to grant would-be litter a new life - as a musical instrument. In doing so, the piece invites the listener to consider the creative possibilities of the objects around them, even if the object appears to have outlived its intended purpose.
Work Details
Year: 2018
Instrumentation: Piccolo, percussion, piano or toy piano, cello, found objects.
Duration: 13 min.
Difficulty: Advanced
Commission note: Commissioned by Rubiks Collective.
First performance: by Rubiks Collective at Rubiks Collective in Darmstadt (Lichtenbergschule, Darmstadt) on 24 Jul 2018
Winner of the 2019 Sue W Chamber Music Composition Prize, Sydney Conservatorium of Music
Performances of this work
13 Aug 2018: at Rubiks Collective: Species (Melbourne Recital Centre, Primrose Potter Salon). Featuring Rubiks Collective.
1 Aug 2018: at Jerboah + Rubiks (Splendor, Amsterdam). Featuring Rubiks Collective.
28 Jul 2018: at Rubiks Collective in Berlin (The Ballery (Berlin)). Featuring Rubiks Collective.
30 Jul 2018: at Rubiks Collective in Manchester (International Anthony Burgess Foundation). Featuring Rubiks Collective.
24 Jul 2018: at Rubiks Collective in Darmstadt (Lichtenbergschule, Darmstadt). Featuring Rubiks Collective.
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