Something from Nothing
“Something from Nothing” 2022 for String Chamber Orchestra, premiered by Ensemble Apex at the Charles Perkins Centre’s ‘Cathedral of Collaboration’ event in June.
Duration:
7:00
Program Note:
‘Something from Nothing’ is a work that was inspired by the incredible work that the Charles Perkins Centre fosters.
It parallels the process of ideas that flow through the building. Interdisciplinary study and enquiry is the quintessential template for great, ground-breaking endeavours today.
The CPC provides the ability to work in a space where your ideas, once restricted by boundaries, are fostered by likeminded academics with unbounded skills that compliment each other. One might say that greatness comes out of the woodwork at the CPC, to create something from what was initially, nothing.
The piece begins with echoes of musical ideas emerging from various levels of the CPC. The cellist locks into one of these ideas, and summons their peers to come together and join them on the stage to form a cohesive, magnetic and immense work.
The various ideas are developed, shifted, pushed and pulled, until the final moments, where the musical cells are handed back to the players on the balconies, going back to where they came from—much like the researchers will at the end of a project, to form new ideas for the next collaboration.
The CPC’s ethos appeals to me specifically, as my doctoral research revolves around music and emotions—specifically with the aim of affecting emotive response in listeners through music to evoke calm and catharsis. The research is aimed at the layperson’s self-managed wellness, and various healthcare applications.
Listen:
