Score: Coalescence
For solo clarinet and live electronics [2006]
Duration: c. 6 ½mins.
Commmissioned by Andy Harper
Notes:
Coalescence is concerned with reflection, transformation and the meeting points between clarinet and electronics. It takes its inspiration from the Sagrada Família church in Barcelona. During a recent visit, I became fascinated by the manor in which the many layers of Gaudi's architectural design appear to melt and transform into each other - further enhanced by striking reflections of coloured light that shifted across the interior of the building.
The material and structural layout are derived entirely from sequences of numbers found in a 4x4 magic square on the Passion façade of the church. Specific sets of numbers are associated with particular elements of the composition. The structural points, for example, are derived from the four horizontal sequences, the microtonal colourations from the vertical sequences and the pitch material from the five sub-squares of numbers.
© Patrick Nunn 2006
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