Push Onward

Duration: ca 18'40"
Instrumentation: Monoboard, voice
Composed: 2020
Production Details: This work combines voice and a single string monoboard in order to explore the polar landscape which Nansen's text capture. Nansen's Farthest North is an interesting blend of scientific reporting, polar expedition reporting and poetic musings. The selected text are portions of his journal entries which he published. The five song set uses both prerecorded material, and live processing in addition to the live performance elements. The work is scored using a Max patch with embedded graphic scores, file playback and written instructions. The score (see images below) and fixed elements provide relative pitch and temporal information, enabling the performers to react to each other and the specific performance situation.
Text: Texts from Farthest North Vol 1 and Vol 2 by Fredtjof Nansen.
on the 1893 - 1896 Artic expedition of the Fram to cross the north pole Fram Journey on Wikipedia

01 SilentOh
" Silent, oh, so silent !" - p 578

02 SnowShoe
"How marvellous are these snow-shoe runs through this silent nature ! The ice-fields stretch all around, bathed in the silver moon- light ; here and there dark cold shadows project from the hummocks, whose sides faintly reflect the twilight. " - p 37

03 HearVirbations
"You can hear the vibrations of your own nerves. I seem as if I were gliding over and over these plains into infinite space. Is this not an im- age of what is to come? Eternity and peace are here. Nirvana must be cold and bright as such an eternal star- night." -p 578

04 Sun
"The sun no longer The sun no longer sinks beneath the icy horizon ; it is continual day. I gaze into far distance. over the barren plain of snow, a boundless, silent, and lifeless mass of ice in imperceptible motion. No sound can be heard save the faint murmur of the air through the rigging, or perhaps far away the low rumble of packing ice." - p. 439

05 OhSilent
" Silent, oh, so silent !" - p 578

The work was premiered in an online concert as part of the CCRMA@Home series on Spetember 4 20202. Nathan Krueger (baritone) singing and Christopher Jette (monoboard)

Video from the online premier using Jacktip Skype and Vimeo to livestream.

Score: This work is performed from a score embedded in a Max patch, please contact the composer for a copy.

Screenshot of the score for Silent Oh

Screenshot of the score for Sun

Awarded performance of 1st 3rd & 5th movements at Technosonics '21. (Kevin Davis - cello & Lisa Edwards-Burrs - voice).