Description
This album showcases five works by past Rambert Fellows. Gavin Higgins' Atomic Cafe performed by the Rambert Orchestra explores the horror of nuclear Armageddon and is inspired by an 1982 public information film which gave practical, yet in all likelihood quite useless, advice on surviving a nuclear attack. The starting point for Mark Bowden's piano trio Airs No Oceans Keep was Emily Dickinson's poem 'I Think that the Root of the Wind is Water'. Exploring the theme of oceanic weather, the piece blends airy sounds, melodic flurries and sudden crashes. Cheryl Frances-Hoad's The Madness Industry for brass quintet was inspired by Jon Ronson's best-selling book The Psychopath Test. She mimics psychopathic characteristics with frequent changes of time signature, violent outbursts, and a relentless pace. Quinta (stage name of composer Katherine Mann) is a frequent collaborator with Radiohead's Philip Selway. Her otherworldly piece Themistocles is Captured is in three short movements and is performed by the composer on violin, electronics and a Magnetic Resonator Piano (an acoustic piano with a series of electro-magnets set along its strings). Also on this album, fresh from her debut full-length album on NMC, is Kate Whitley's Duo for Violin and Viola, written for a choreography inspired by a sculpture called 'Wrestlers' by Henri Gaudier Brzeska.
