
When I received a press release from the Chicago Symphony Orchestra announcing that Anna Clyne, one of two young composers-in-residence with the CSO, is having her contract extended, I promptly investigated. I’d never heard of Clyne before, so I turned to YouTube – and found some impressive music. While I can’t say I enjoyed everything I heard equally, I can only agree with conductor Riccardo Muti’s assessment that she is “an artist who writes from the heart.”
The YouTube video that impressed me is a short piece called The Violin: Resting in the Green. It was written in 2010 – and is apparently scored for a small string orchestra, of sorts.
I say “apparently” because finding more information about the composition turned out to be a frustrating and fruitless task. I could discover no reference to a live performance of the piece anywhere. And, curiously, there are only two violinists listed in the closing credits of the video – Cornelius Duffalo and Amy Kauffman – yet it sounds like there must surely be more players. Has the sound been electronically enhanced in some way?
Whatever the genesis of this music, it is arrestingly simple yet hauntingly beautiful. And the accompanying animations by Josh Dorman are also fascinating. Look and listen!
© Colin Eatock 2013