In April, 2024 Keyboard Percussion Publications released Clear Things May Not Be Seen, a piece I composed during 2017/18, as part of an ongoing project to set text by the American author Conrad Aiken. It is scored for two soprano soloists, string quartet, clarinet, bass clarinet, marimba and vibraphone, and lasts approximately 13 minutes. The piece was premiered in Toronto in February, 2020 on the Canadian Opera Company’s Vocal/Chamber Music Series at the Four Seasons Centre. The extensive text for this work, as well as the lyrics for another KPP publication, To Immortal Bloom, may be viewed HERE.
During 2022/23 I was able to make professional recordings of both Clear Things and an older, but much more substantial work, Time in the Rock. Performers for both works were: Lindsay Kesselman and Andrea Ludwig, vocals; Ethel string quartet (Corin Lee, Kip Jones, Ralph Farris and Dorothy Lawson); Mark Dover and Emmalie Tello, clarinets; Midori Koga, piano; Louis Pino, marimba; Bob Becker, vibraphone; Richard Waugh, voice actor/monologues.
The complete recording of Clear Things May Not Be Seen is below. Running time is 12:48.
