Mind Springs

About

The initial images that preceded the composition of this work were of water springing and bubbling from the ground, and New Zealand’s geysers with their accompanying babbling flow of mineral-laden water that over time build sinter structures and pathways. Also, a boiling kettle (for a cup of tea – a necessity in the compositional process).

But as the piece took form it became clear this was not made of bold, grand explosions but rather a more contemplative series of leaps that were inward-looking. The work leaps (springs) between sections that are harmonically unified but texturally and gesturally quite disparate, with interruptions from some rather demanding birds, sections that motor along, and thick chordal sections like a small forest of shadowy statues. There are a few musical statues in this diverse landscape: Olivier Messiaen, Gabriel Fauré, Keith Jarrett, Robert Wyatt, Jenny McLeod and Gillian Whitehead may perhaps be seen standing in the shadows, but probably most prominent are the distorted echoes of the most statuesque composer of western traditions to date, J.S. Bach.