Contemporary
HOWARD Sky and Water for Piano
EP 73318
EMILY HOWARD
Sky and Water for Piano
POD PETERS on demand ALLE RECHTE VORBEHALTEN
· ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
EDITION PETERS L E I P Z I G · L O N D O N · NEW YORK
PROGRAMME NOTE Composed in 2005, Sky and Water is a short, atmospheric work for solo piano. It was inspired by M. C. Escher’s wood etching Sky and Water I (from which it also takes its name) in which birds appear to be systematically transformed into fish and visa versa. To me this suggested the possibility of using a computational sorting algorithm ‘Insertion Sort’ to bring about a transformation in terms of pitch, and specifically melodic line: in my composition, the opening descending figure slowly evolves into an ascending figure by the end of the piece.
Emily Howard, 2010
Duration: 7 minutes
First performed by John McCabe on 22nd February 2006 at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London UK as part of the Landscapes of the Mind Festival
A recording of Sky and Water, given by John McCabe, appears on Toccata Classics CD Farewell Recital [TOCC 0139]