Endless Present for Octet [2016] – FESCH.TV

Endless Present for Octet [2016] & FESCH.TV:

Endless Present for Octet [2016] by Timothy Tate

Written for the same instrumentation as Edgard Varese’s Octandre, my piece Endless Present sets out to use the same instruments in a very different fashion to that of Varese. Originally the first performance was to be given in a concert celebrating Varese’s music at the Royal Academy of Music, London and I was to respond to Varese’s solo flute work Density 21.5 in the composition of the piece. This concert never eventuated however my initial sketches that responded to Density 21.5 were still used in the composition of Endless Present.

The title of this piece reflects my fascination with evoking the concept of suspended time in music. The opening bars of Varese’s Density 21.5 have a calling/yearning feel suggesting a timeless quality, which is an underlying motif and idea throughout Endless Present. The opening section of the piece introduces the main musical element or ‘motif’ that recurs throughout. It is constantly repeated, undergoing various treatments, giving the piece a refrain like quality that is enhanced by the subtle changes of resonance that occur within the instruments of the ensemble as the music is transformed.

Performed by: Katy Ovens, Henry Clay, Charlie Dale-Harris, Alice Quayle, Charlie Ransley, Chris Hart, Quinn Parker, Gwen Reed

Conducted by Oscar Colomina i Bosch

Recorded – 30.i.16 – St Marks – London