The Shimmer Beneath: A Scattering Attempt (2019), for cello duo, is inspired by an imaginary scene of light breaking through thick layers of dust with great difficulty. Dust has two different qualities in the piece. The first one is the initial timbral experience in which it is perceived as an almost solid and visible cap over timbre. The second one refers to the lightness and emptiness that allow it to drift. Then, the shimmering beneath finds a way to escape in dust itself, scattering through the refracting power of its rising minute pieces. Consequently, all the instrumental techniques were developed in order to study timbre from the ‘inside’ through a process of dusting. Some unpredictable events reinforce the idea of light in timbre desperately looking to escape from the layers of dust that cover it. This piece is part of my current research on the multidimensionality of timbre, specifically from the study of luminance as one of its semantic dimensions.
Now, you can listen to the recording of a fantastic reading session with Gaia Blandina and Ali Baumann (The Chimera Ensemble) at the University of York in June 2021. Available on SoundCloud:
MICHELE ABONDANO 