Sunday 31 October 2010

Control

"I must hasten to add that music, which is 'found', is not usually found easily. " Tom Johnson

I "found" these interesting articles and lectures online written by Tom Johnson, in which he talks about his process of composing structural music and his wider observations about composition: http://www.editions75.com/English/articleslecturesenglish.html

Thursday 28 October 2010

Music in Studio 9

In October we spend the first three weeks of our production process at Laban. We means Camilla, myself and dancer Keir Patrick, who has been joining us for the first time. The support from Laban and funding from the Arts Council allowed us to focus intensively on the process, which is something I have been craving for. We introduced a piece of glass as a new instrument to the two accordions to complement previously created materials and to create new materials. Keir and me have also been playing the small accordion to accompany Camilla. Switching from playing to moving is an interesting new development for me. We are trying to integrate the two within one choreographic pattern, considering the different expressive possibilities each option brings and also the challenges that arise from going from something familiar to something unfamiliar. I am reminded daily about what it means to work in such a structural way that I have committed myself to by introducing mathematical patterns into the process. They require a lot of practice and constant intuitive decision making about how to apply them and where to go with the materials generated. This process is slow and difficult but very satisfying and surprising when it is working.