sync_for_me(1): Gothick Yarns, Motley Rotto & Sweet, Sweet Syllabub
(2018)
for faux court orchestra
picc.2.ca.2.bass.2.contra 2 2 0 0 timp. perc.(sus cym [M, L] rtch wdblk [H] whip tamb bng [M,L] cng dr kit [sus cym (S) hi-hat sizz cym (M) sn dr tom (S,A,T,) fl tom pd bass dr]) tb bells glock vib mar - pno elec - I (solo, 1, 2).II (1, 2).va (1, 2).vc (solo, 1, 2).db (1,2)
I. II. III.
commissioned by, & dedicated to, Sam Weller & Ensemble Apex
premiered by Ensemble Apex, conducted by Sam Weller, on 9 March 2018 at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, Sydney, NSW, Australia
recording: complete ~ audio
score available through The Australian Music Centre
duration: 17’
genre: Orchestra
category: Ambrosia
Reason gets a hard time these days. In public discourse, the thinking behind modern science, technology and governance often plays second fiddle to personal relationships and feelings. sync_for_me(1) is my reaction to that. This piece is modelled on the early Classical symphony, which addressed a similar imbalance, albeit from the perspective of too much, rather than too little reason. In the mid-eighteenth century, certain German composers – notably Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach – reacted against the ultra-rationality of their parents’ generation by embracing what they saw as the genuine, spontaneous nature of emotion. While sync_for_me(1) sounds nothing like C.P.E. Bach’s symphonies, it is nevertheless a sort of spiritual cousin. The most obvious connections are the three-movement form, and the scoring for ‘faux court orchestra’; that is, a Classical orchestra, augmented here with extra woodwind, percussion and electronics. There is also a shared focus on expression, as demonstrated in both cases by ‘melancholic’ (slow) tempi and active manipulation of expectation through surprise and contrast. Most importantly, although they are coming from opposite directions, the two musics have the same goal: a fulfilling balance between reason and emotion. I guess the moral of both stories is that you cannot express meaningfully without logic, and you can’t make logic meaningful without expression…
