Performed by – Eliot Simpson | Written for solo electric guitar, this piece uses a limited palette of effects to present an extensive sequence of three-note chords. Dynamics and varying the speed at which the chords are performed shapes the work over a 16-minute duration.
The Duke of Green(2014)
Performed by – Ethos Collective & Camille Hesketh | Commissioned by the Canada Council for the Arts and composed between 2013 and 2014, The Duke of Green is a multi-movement work exploring its own mimetic encounter. The work is divided into four versions (Keppel; Laurel; Mantis; Viridian); these versions flow from one to the next, and as this occurs each reveals an economy of material as well as repetition and distinction from the other versions. Between the four versions there are short transitions hinting at the main musical reference which is present throughout the entire piece.
Backslide Roller(2008)
Performed by – ASKO ensemble | Backslide Roller (2008) This is my ‘octet’ for oboe, bass clarinet, trumpet, horn, trombone, tuba, viola and cello. This piece was premiered in April 2008; present performance was by an excellent ensemble based in Amsterdam.
Tropical Depression(2012)
Performed by – Modelo62 | Tropical Depression is a work composed from cycles of similar and unlike ideas, ones which are continuously superimposed or arranged close together. The musical speed of these events varies from section to section; sometimes creating quick and quirky exchanges, other times revealing longer, more reflective, and almost forlorn passages. In addition, Tropical Depression provides many frequent soloistic moments for many of the talented instrumentalists within this ensemble.
Recasted Trope(2011)
Performed by – Blue Moss Ensemble (performance in 2014) | Recasted Trope is a quartet for baroque instruments. The piece presents my own heuristic approach to (re)presenting a well known chord progression from the baroque era — often placing timbre on equal footing with the harmonic content that is found throughout the piece and embellishing the music with a wealth of rhythmic nuance.
Proposition of Fossils(2015)
Performed by – Omega Impact & Graham Flett | This piece represents a culmination of certain ideas I have been investigating connected to the notion of video-chamber-music. Using a vast array of found footage (heroically edited exclusively in imovie), the piece weaves a memorable ride through a wealth of psychedelic, everyday, and poetic images; accompanied by an equally wild score, performed live by 7 musicians. | Een mooie combinatie van live-muziek en video-beelden; Proposition of Fossils creëert een bijzondere sfeer, met een geheimzinnigheid ritme over de samenwerking tussen bizar beelden en spontaan en onverwachte muzikale draaien.”
Aromates chasseurs(2012)
Performed by – New European Ensemble and the Kroumata Percussion Ensemble (2012) | Aromates chasseurs was commissioned as a companion piece for Pierre Boulez’s piece Le Marteau san Mâitre (fl, guit, 3 percussion, and vla.).
Monolith Passing(2009)
Monolith Passing – for ensemble and electronics | Written for a specific performance, Monolith Passing combines two (antiphonal) percussion players, a string quartet, two (antiphonal) loud-speakers, and a horn player who intersects the performance space. As the piece progresses a clear connection between the harmonic material of the horn, electronics, and the string quartet emerges, while the percussionists perform frenetic and highly detailed rhythmic passages.
octagonal boom(2009)
Performed by – Nieuw Ensemble | octagonal boom is large ensemble piece for flute, clarinet, oboe, guitar, harp, mandolin, piano, percussion, violin, viola, cello, contra bass. Performed by an a superb ensemble in Amsterdam (2009). Moreover, this composition received an honourable mention for the Julés Légar Prize for Contemporary Chamber Music (October, 2010).
Mount Demographic(2007)
Performed by volunteers at the Edit Festival (2007) | Mount Demographic was an installation work written for 20 out-of-tune pianos. Myself and five other composers were asked to write for this unusual instrumentation. Silent-disco headphones were used to help coordinate everyone playing together. To a limited extent, my piece obliquely references Javanese gamelan music, while also exploring the pronounced differences in tuning between the pianos. The pianos were later destroyed as too many of them were beyond repair or were, sadly, no longer wanted.
