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Metamorphosis (1988) |
ensemble - 15'
This composition for 13 musicians is concerned with the process of transformation that occurs simultaneously between background and foreground music. For the background layer I have composed music that is restricted to an organum texture of constantly varying instrumentation and density. This music divides into six equal cycles that undergo a process of rhythmic elaboration within the cycle and a gradual acceleration that occurs throughout the duration of the piece. Out of this vertical framework the foreground music evolves. In this music I have concentrated on a process of horizontal, melodic and polyphonic development which eventually swallows up the background music, creating a complete metamorphosis of the original soundworld. The cyclic music and metrically corresponding, but independent, melodies are framed by an introduction and coda which brings the music back to the timeless suspended world of the beginning.
The piece is dedicated to the memory of Gil Evans, a musician whose work I loved and admired for many years and whose wonderful arrangements for Miles Davis provided a starting point for this work.
© Simon Bainbridge