Wind Ensemble
2015
9 min.
Alto Saxophone
Baritone Saxophone
Bass Clarinet
Bass Drum
Clarinet
Cymbals
Euphonium
Flute
Horn
Piccolo
Pitched Percussion
Tenor Saxophone
Timpani
Trombone
Trumpet
Tuba
Unpitched Percussion
Xylophone
More Details
- Program Notes
- Dark Refractions was written in 2016 for the VRM Wind Orchestra as part of a collaborative commissioning opportunity from Sound and Music and the DAR residency scheme. The piece explores the colours present in the light spectrum of a natural phenomenon called ‘black rainbows’. This phenomenon, which I have recast as ‘dark refractions’, sees the refracted light spectrum veiled through darkness, distinguishing this from more conventional rainbows. The piece is inspired by the imagery associated with the colours emerging from black rainbows, leading to each section of the piece having a distinctive colour ‘identity’. These colours are expressed through a range of harmonic, timbral, and rhythmic devices. The distinct characters of each musical section takes you on a voyage through the spectrum of a dark rainbow, with each colour being rendered musically. After each of the colours has been expressed, the piece builds towards an energetic and dramatic combination of the colours forming white light. It is not my intention for the colours to be made explicit in the piece, rather that I wished to create a clear sonic change in each identity.
- Ensemble Name
- VRM Wind Orchestra