Propulsive Instability

Ben Robinson

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Chamber Orchestra

2018

10 min.

Bassoon

Cello

Clarinet

Double Bass

Flute

Horn

Oboe

Viola

Violin

Program Notes: “Perpetually erratic, imbued with a terrible need to press forward, Ben Robinson’s Propulsive Instability finds its momentum with the idea of movement beyond our control… Any sense of groove is underpinned by an illusion of anxiety, as we hurry to find grounding within an electric rhythmic landscape. A work with no space for hesitation, Propulsive Instability sends us hurtling forward, almost faster than we can comprehend… This sense of freshness and of discovery are pinpricks beneath an almost despairing, animal sense of fixation that drives this work to its very close.” – Paige Gullifer Propulsive Instability aims to capture a feeling of unhinged desperation. The persistent and agitated rhythmic drive evokes a wild, animalistic fixation; stalking, hunting, chasing. The bookend sections of the piece exploit a heavy (almost Stravinskian) use of syncopation and irregular metres to create a surging, unpredictable rhythmic energy. Imagine you are running faster than your body can bear, and existing in a panicked state of perpetual forward motion – hence the title, Propulsive Instability. The central sound-world uses triplets in unusual groupings to create a curiously wonky groove. It subverts our musical expectations and leads to exciting rhythmic surprises. Underneath, the ominous bass-line presses on.
Ensemble Name: Ensemble Apex