In 2020 I posted an extensive article detailing my experiences surrounding the development of my piece Time in the Rock (composed between 2001 and 2004). During 2022 and 23 I was able to organize professional recordings of TITR as well as a later piece from 2017/18, Clear Things May Not Be Seen. It was a… Read more »
Posts Tagged: Conrad Aiken
The Light Absent
Last year (2024) I continued my work on setting text by the American author Conrad Aiken (1889 – 1973). I chose verses from three poems included in his epic collection Time in the Rock: LXV, XLI and XCI, and then edited them to suit the structure of the music I was imagining. References to light,… Read more »
Clear Things May Not Be Seen published by KPP
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… Read more »
Time in the Rock – Travails of a Composer
Tragedy. “A drama typically involving a person destined to experience downfall or destruction, as through a character flaw, or conflict with some overpowering force such as fate or an unyielding society.” Hubris. “An extreme and unreasonable feeling of self-confidence.” Posthumous. “Published after the death of the author.” In May of 2001 I began work on… Read more »
More from Bob’s Archive (Part 4) – Prisoners of the Image Factory, Cryin’ Time, and Never in Word
Prisoners of the Image Factory In 1991 I composed the soundtrack for a short film by Toronto director James Stewart. It was the first opportunity I had to collaborate in this medium, and my first experience composing music to time code. The film, which was without dialogue, featured two teenaged actors portraying young lovers cavorting… Read more »