Il y a – memory of a word lacking (2020-22)

for 2 soprano, mixed ensemble, and electronics

..impersonal, anonymous, yet inextinguishable … il y a is ‘being in general' (Levinas)

..with lack, anxiety was born … what if the book were only infinite memory of a word lacking? (Jabés)

premiered by

Bonnie de la Hunty (voice), Thea Rossen (percussion), Adam Lewin (bass flute), Brianna Louwen (voice), Ashley Smith (clarinets & sax), William Huxtable (violin), John Pax (conductor), Christopher Tonkin (electronics), Alex Spartalis (lights), Jared Yapp (co-producer)

January 20th, 2022 at the Holmes à Court Gallery @ no.10

Winner of the 2022 Bohemians Prize in Composition

score

photographs

libretto

video preview

audio recording