Title
Crossing 2

Date
2019

Composer
Gavin Wayte

Description
Ensemble and vocalists with live electronics
c. 35 minutes

Ensemble
Polaris Duo: Gillian Blair and Elinor Nicholson
Vocalists: Lucy Farrimond, Georgie Malcolm, Philip O’Connor
Ensemble: Alice Roberts, Jess Hughes, Kathryn Mason, Amy Chan
Conductor and live electronics: Gavin Wayte

Partners and Support
Crossing 2 is supported through Research Funding from the Royal Northern College of Music

Text extracts from Thomas Nail’s Theory of the Border (Copyright OUP, 2016) are reproduced with permission of the Licensor through PLS.

Crossing 2

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
1
1

Crossing 2 sees the development of the composition Crossing written for the Polaris Duo and electronics, premiered in July 2019.

The piece continues the exploration of the theme of borders through composed and improvised music, imaginative staging, and by bringing in spoken texts extracted from Thomas Nail’s 2016 book Theory of the Border.

The texts were performed by 3 RNCM vocalists in a musical setting of the Polaris Duo (saxophone and harp), three ensemble harps, percussion and live electronics, conducted by myself. We used the full potential of the performance space, including resonant percussionist instruments placed on the balcony above the audience, played by the vocalists as they circulated round the audience and the public spaces of the conservatoire, embodying a ‘border in motion’ inspired by Nail’s theory.

Immediately after the performance there was a lively audience discussion where we talked about the themes of the project, Nail’s text and the performers’ experience, hosted by RNCM Senior Lecturer, Dr Adam Swayne.

Audience responses from the performance comment on the piece being highly imaginative and creative, inspiring and uplifting.