|
At the Still Point of the turning World |
For oboe and electronics
This piece was completed in 1976 and first performed by the composer at St John’s Smith Square with the West Square Electronic Music Ensemble, under the direction of Barry Anderson. The sound of the oboe is fed through a system of six delays, ranging from 4.2 to 60 seconds, with filtering and modulation. The whole system is controlled by a graphic score. The first performance in the late seventies was given using an analogue system and therefore needed a conductor and twelve technicians to operate Barry Anderson’s ‘delay table’ (first designed for a performance of Stockhausen’s Solo).
The delay, sound treatment structure and the score were implemented on the IRCAM Workstation in 1993 by Lawrence Casserley. The compositional concept of the piece is an embodiment of the title taken from T. S. Elliott’s The Four Quartets). The piece illustrates the idea of a centrifugal point (or sound source) which all other sounds circumnavigate. Many of Edwin Roxburgh’s works show a fascination with the planets and our solar system. In this piece, Edwin uses a wide spectrum of multiphonics and sound effects: the rhythmic clicking of fingers on keys is fed through the delay system to create a galaxy of stars twinkling in the sky. The range of colours achieved from the expressive use of multiphonics together with the highly crafted dramatic scope of the music create a fantastic world of colour and sensation.