harp, alto sax, and electronics
7 – 8 minutes
performed here by Pictures on Silence
video assembled by Noah Getz
About:
Plunge, a work for electronic sounds, harp, and alto saxophone, is ultimately a response to the BP Gulf of Mexico oil disaster of 2010. In the piece, I use sounds recorded around a harbor to conjure up aural images of water (both surface sounds and underwater sounds as well). These sounds, and the live performers, are used in dialogue with spoken text, which bubbles up from the harbor, giving an ambient verbal counterpoint to the long, plaintive melodic lines. As the piece progresses, the music has the effect of plunging not only deeper under the surface of the water, but of also becoming more menacing, inviting the listener to contemplate our man-made disasters in natural environments. Plunge was commissioned by Pictures on Silence.
