Work
Mr Speaker
for oboe, marimba and backing track
About
Mr Speaker aims to highlight two concepts synonymous with works featuring backing track; how the recordings fit into the sound world of the backing track and how they influence the musical material of the live instruments. The oboe and marimba are, for the most part, subject to the digital manipulations of the politicians’ speech, fully contained within the backing track’s domain, thus making the track like a third instrument. The track itself explores novel, parodic and often unusual musical settings of the recordings, from Latin-inspired funk to marching band tunes to gospel, all with the aim to catch the listener off guard. By moving through several of these settings, the work ends by landing in a mess of voices and the oboe and marimba eventually succumb to the overwhelming din that ensues.