Rococo Variations
Adrian Moore
Programme notes
Rococo Variations is an abstract work based around a series of synthesized harmonic transitions. After completing Dreaming of the Dawn, I was interested in animating basic / base harmonic material and disguising repetition with structural change. Rococo Variations began with a very simple (and melancholic) 8-bar harmonic passage (of whole notes). Working with pitches and harmonies in this way proved extremely challenging as synthetic voices, once recorded, were resistant to modification. Quite clearly, if a series of manipulations were possible, variation form was going to be one way of maintaining some coherence at the mixing stage.
The discrete nature of the notes / chords also provided a number of challenges. In addition to recorded MIDI files of the harmonic transitions, sequences were translated to Max/MSP enabling synthetic glissandi between chords, flexible duration control and dynamic timbral control of synthesis using a graphics tablet.
But why rococo
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Rococo Variations was realized in 2006 at the composer’s studio and premiered on February 3, 2006 during the Soundings… festival in Reid Concert Hall (Edinburgh, Scotland, UK).
Premiere
- February 3, 2006, Soundings… 2005-06 — Weekend 3
: World premiere…, Reid Concert Hall — Edinburgh College of Art — The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh (Scotland, UK)
- Composer(s): Adrian Moore
- Year of composition: 2006
- Duration: 17:22
- Instrumentation: 5.1-channel fixed medium
- Publisher(s): Ymx média
- ISRC: CAD501110152
