Peter V. Swendsen

 

 

Northern Circles (2011)

for alto sax, bassoon, live electronics, and video (for EAR Duo)


In Northern Circles, I strive to create for the audience an experience of both time (the summer solstice) and place (the Lofoten Islands, just north of the Arctic Circle, where I spent a week making field recordings just after the summer solstice of 2007). I am particularly interested in exploring the sensation of the “midnight sun,” the early morning hours when the sun hovers near—but never drops below—the horizon. The piece is scored for bassoon and alto saxophone, an interactive sonic environment provided by live electronics processing, field recordings made in various locations in the Lofoten Islands, and video based on footage shot in these same locations.


[live performance with EAR Duo, 31 March 2011; studio recording on Allusions...;performance materials available upon request]
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