The Piercing Gaze of a Submerged Creature

double bass

Premiered on June 8, 2021, at Perth Concert Hall, by John Keene

video: John Keene with Cygnus Arioso

Sample Score 1

Sample Score 2

This work was composed in collaboration with WASO Associate Principal Double Bassist John Keene as part of the Western Australian Symphony Orchestra’s Young & Emerging Artists Composition Project. It looks at the double bass as a source of nuanced percussive textures, employing a range of preparations, including a guiro, superball friction mallets, brushes, and metal rods. The piece exploits the instrument’s physical scale, requiring the performer to engage in large, full-body gestures and rapid spatial movements, resulting in a highly kinetic and visually dynamic performance.

Upcoming performance on May 29 by Miranda Hill at the Motley Bauhaus, Melbourne.