‘Other Presences’ began as a piece for solo trumpet and live electronics written by Jonathan Harvey for Markus Stockhausen commissioned by Martyn Brabbins and the Cheltenham Festival. The piece is inspired by ritual Tibetan ceremonies where Stockhausen’s written and improvised trumpet parts are looped and harmonised in real time. After recording the piece, the idea arose to ask seven other composers, many of them also Sargasso artists, to contribute a personal ‘remix’ of the original trumpet recording. The composers, chosen by Harvey, are all related in one way or another to him and his work. Most notably, his own daughter Anna Harvey was asked to participate. Kaffe Matthews, Lawrence Casserley, Gilbert Nouno, Daniel Biro, Evelyn Ficarra and John Palmer all enthusiastically accepted the challenge.
As the works started to emerge it became clear that each composer was proposing a very different approach to the material, some deciding to stick fairly closely to the original sounds while others manipulating them beyond recognition. The results go far beyond the original remix concept, offering a collection of personal re-interpretations of Harvey’s original. Markus Stockhausen’s masterful and inspired playing provided a fertile ground for these explorations.
Credits:
Markus Stockhausen: trumpet
TRACK LIST:
1. OTHER PRESENCES
by Jonathan Harvey (11:07)
2. MEN BEING BUTTERFLIES
by Kaffe Matthews (7:26)
3. LOST WAX
by Lawrence Casserley (6:23)
4. WATARU JIKAN
by Gilbert Nouno (11:35)
5. FRACTURED MARBLE
by Evelyn Ficarra (7:26)
6. MILES OF HARVEY
by Daniel Biro (5:20)
7. LOST FRONTIER
by Anna Harvey (5:04)
8. PRESENT OTHERNESS
by John Palmer (10:51)
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