Trilling Wire Katharine Norman

Writing for performer and recorded sound offers its own interesting tension: while the recorded sound goes on regardless, unchangeable once the playback button has been pressed, the performer seeks a foothold for their own interpretation, emotions, temporal ebbs and flows — all the things that make a `live’ performance a trilling wire, to meander along precariously, confidently, gladly or sadly, dependent on realtime circumstances and yearnings.

The title is taken from T.S. Eliot’s Four Quartets.

… The trilling wire in the blood
Sings below inveterate scars
Appeasing long forgotten wars.
The dance along the artery
The circulation of the lymph
Are figured in the drift of stars …

Trilling Wire was commissioned as a ‘virtuoso’ piece, by Jonathan Cooper, whose playing also features in the recorded part. The piece is dedicated to him with much affection.

  • Year of composition: 1994
  • Format: Mixed work
  • Instrumentation: for clarinet and recorded sound
  • Hardware used: NeXT computer
  • Software used: Cmix, csound and other software packages
  • Duration of the submitted work: 10:03
  • Production: Home

Linked project

Also part of London (NMC).

More works by Katharine Norman