for St Albert’s

Performance: Edinburgh Doors Open Day - 29 September 2018

Location: The Chapel of St Albert the Great, Edinburgh

Bass Flute: Megan Porter

Cello: Joanna Stark

Architect: Simpson & Brown Architects, 2012

for St Albert’s

This work for the chapel of St Albert the Great in Edinburgh is composed in four sections, each informed by a different feature of the building. I made numerous visits to the chapel while working on the piece, each time discovering something new about the structure. Unlike other buildings I have worked with I benefited from the opportunity to discuss my ideas with the architect, Stuart Allan, of Simpson & Brown.

The initial focus on one pitch echoes the uniform lines of oak and allows the ear to concentrate on the different colours and textures. Pitch bends on the bass flute and glissando on the cello acknowledge the curves in the wood. The fast repetition of single pitches parallels the way in which the repeated lines of oak, so distinct when viewed up close, begin to merge into the distance.

The second section focuses on the hazeldean sandstone; percussive key clicks on the bass flute evoke the gesture of a hand running across the stone while the ricochet bowing on cello (the cellist drops their bow onto the strings) complements the flute. Short urgent entires then punctuate the music, suggesting the physical act of chiseling the sandstone.

The corten steel tree-like columns are the focus of the third section. Short flourishes, at time delicate, at other times quite harsh, seek to explore the dappled texture of the steel, depicting the beauty of the pattern while acknowledging the coarse material. Two slow glissando on the cello conclude this section; a simple reference to the tree-like shape of the columns.

A degree of freedom is given to the players at the end; this openness is informed by the chapel’s transient features. Imperfect multiphonics on the flute reference the opening light and dark effects on the oak. This provides a tranquil backdrop on top of which the cello explores gestures that depict the play of natural light and resulting transient features. Gently fading to nothing, as though drifting away into nature, this reflective ending celebrates the peacefulness of the chapel, where the boundary between the interior and exterior dissolves quietly.