Diamond Dust II (2015)
For clarinet in Bb and prepared piano.
Duration: 6'
First performed live on BBC Radio 3 Young Artists Day Programme from the RNCM (04/05/15)
'Diamond Dust is a type of cloud that consists of tiny ice crystals, which creates a meteorological phenomenon commonly found in the Antarctica and the Arctic. A visual display of optical marvels resembling falling glitter are present due to the diamond dust crystal’s well- defined hexagonal shapes and can, like a prism, refract light in specific directions. The piece itself consists of fast cycling pitch patterns in the piano to create a delicate textural sound world to resemble the fragility of the drifting ice crystals. There is a focus on resonance, as the span of ringing notes evolves throughout until it is eventually created by a single consonant chord. A dampened figure emerges out of this resonant texture each time until at the end it is the only entity remaining. The clarinet seeks to create an underlying presence throughout the piece acting as an aid to the piano, however it occasionally breaks free and they unite to create an ethereal sound landscape.' ©G.E.M.2015
©Cover Image: 'Diamond Dust' by Grace-Evangeline Mason 2015