Nortem

Duration: 10'40"
Instrumentation: Trumpet, trombone, euphonium, bass clarinet, baritone saxaphone, live electronics (2 video cameras and 16 pads as interface) andand fixed electronics
Composed:2020
Details: Nortem is the sonic exploration of a journey northward. The source material from which the instrumental and electronics parts are constructed is a series of recordings at each degree of latitude made from my journey between California (lat 38) to Alaska (lat 63). Using software the most important pitch material is extracted. This extracted source material is then shaped into musical lines for the instruments. To the instrumental score, both live and fixed electronic are added. The fixed material blends recorded source material with synthesis. The performative electronics process the live instrumental material and provide an additional instrumental component with a broader timbral range than other instruments. The electronics performer controls his instrument through two cameras and a pad controller with touch and position sensitivity. The ultimate goal of Nortem is the presentation of a series of aesthetic sonic situations that both recount the experience of my personal journey north and provide an acoustic space for the listener to consider and experience the idea of a journey northward.
The electronics use a max patch that plays back a fixed part as well as a live electronic part which uses two cameras and a 16 pad controller as the interface. Please contact the composer for the patch.
This work was commissioned by the Arctic Sustain Ensemble as part of the Art Vapo Project. Nortem was premiered at the Nordlysfestivalen (Northern Lights Festival) in Tromsø Norway in January of 2020.

Score