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The Futility of the Furious Stomp (for fl, vln, per) Programme Notes When Stompin’ Tom Connors, the legendary Canadian country and folk singer-songwriter passed away in March of 2013, I thought of paying homage to him by creating a piece of music that incorporated stomping in the same way he often pounded on a plywood board while performing. I finally came up with “The Futility of the Furious Stomp” for flute, violin, and dysfunctional drum kit. Although Stompin’ Tom’s plywood stomping was my jump off point to creating the piece and there are a couple of subtle references to his musical style to give the piece a kind of rhythmical drive, I did not attempt to imitate him. My intention was to create music that has an energetic and rather eccentric character. The title of the piece alludes to the idea that anger and aggression never solve our problems; it is acts of compassion, kindness, and peace that make our lives and world more joyous. The music ends in a way that reflects this ideal. (back to the music) Wandering the Barrens (for guitar) Programme Notes Over the past few summers I have been spending time in a Newfoundland fishing village called Bay de Verde, situated on a small outcrop jutting out into the North Atlantic. It is surrounded by a region which the locals call “The Barrens”. One can walk freely off trail and experience its starkness, its wonders, and its foreboding tension. It is dotted with huge misplaced boulders and craggy hills where one can climb atop and observe vast majestic vistas. But it is also carpeted with an exotic and intimate micro environment of low brush, moss, and lichen. “Wandering The Barrens” attempts to musically represent a meandering journey through these Barrens. Where to wander and what will be experienced? The answer is unknowable. These musical wanderings may fall prey to an ambiguous and unpredictable world. (back to the music) Summertime for Sex in Woolly Sweaters (for vlc, pno) Programme Notes An absurd title, subtle theatrical antics, suggestive musical gestures, a distorted version of a famous Satie piece – these are some of the elements used to create an irreverent and tactless parody on the notion of using music as an atmospheric backdrop to enhance a lustful encounter. (back to the music) Wintertime for Chattering in Basement (for fl, pno) Programme Notes 'Wintertime for Chattering in Basement' is an exploration of negation. Any sense of expectation the listener may have of the music is continually thwarted. Instead, it simply lives, then dies within a stagnant sound world. The intention of writing such a piece is to attempt to find beauty even in a music that tragically closes in on itself. (back to the music) Springtime for Gentle Risings within Gridlock (for fl, B.cl, pno, vln, vlc) Programme Notes While the indomitable urban grid hovers over a cracking concrete, the seedling finds its home. Eradicate this vicious weed. (back to the music) America Shot Webern in the Garden of Eden (for fl, ob, cl, hrn, per, pno, vln, va, vlc, db) Programme Notes History combined with music as a blunt metaphor: a famous composer killed by an American soldier; conflict between a foreboding lament and a nervous pointillism. Such a metaphor speaks of a present day condition where American pop culture and its multi-billion dollar entertainment industry have exerted complete domination over our lives. All artists opposing this cultural totalitarianism will either be exiled into irrelevance or eventually lured into its superficial trappings. (back to the music) Solitude Synching Into Something (for 2 synthesizers, 2 percussionists) Programme Notes This piece employs a technique called 'tempi-plexus' whereby performers are controlled by computerized click-tracks which produce both separate and varying tempi through individual headsets. The performers are positioned in complete isolation from each other within the concert space. While they make no attempt to co-ordinate their parts, at times, the music attains moments of synchronicity, while at other times, it falls into complete disarray. The end result is a contrapuntal web of sound objects. 'Solitude Synching Into Something' was commissioned by the New Art Quartet through the Ontario Arts Council. It was selected as a finalist and performed in both the 1990 CBC Radio National Young Composers' Competition in Quebec City and the 1991 International Gaudeamus Music Week in Amsterdam. (back to the music) Requiem for a Twittering Machine (for 13 instruments) Programme Notes Analysts have called our present living situation - 'The Post-Industrial Era'. Therefore, I thought that it would be fitting to write a Requiem to mourn the death of an era, in which the machine was the supreme ruler. However, in the Requiem, I cannot put the machine to rest; Its 'twitterings' incessantly possess the music. Perhaps, the machine is not really dead, only changed - more refined, more potent. Thus, let the twitterings of the machine be a symbol: They represent our dependence on the inhuman objects of utility. As well, let the Requiem be a symbol: It mourns the sufferings inflicted upon people as a result of this dependence. In memory of all those killed by machines with wheels and wings. William Peltier, 1986 'Requiem for a Twittering Machine' was performed and won a second prize in the 1988 CBC Radio National Young Composers' Competition in Ottawa. (back to the music) Little Boy Versus Stones and Pebbles Stones and pebbles skipped along the water, Etching interesting patterns into the glass. And when the stones and pebbles rested afloat, The little boy who cast them into exile, Drowned in the mud along the shoreline. William Peltier, 1987 (back to the music) |