programme note

Abyss was composed for the Clocks and Clouds: A tribute to Ligeti event held at Slee Gallery in Stellenbosch in 2015. The work is a response to György Ligeti’s orchestral works Atmosphères and Apparitions. The slow-moving, cluster-driven character of Atmosphères lays the groundwork for my own piece, a patchwork of sounds from fingernails scratching on the strings of the piano and guitar, processed human screams, and synths. From Apparitions, I took, as inspiration, the impulsive music of that work’s ‘agitato’ second movement.For the premiere, artist Nicola Kaden created her own work in real-time in response to Abyss.