This work, an homage to the French ‘spectralist’ tradition, brings together my interests in non-Western vocal traditions—in this case, Mongolian throatsinging (‘khoomei’ is the deepest of the three styles of throatsinging)—with a kind of looping, imitative structure that hints at various kinds of electronic treatments. A voice-like quality permeates the instrumental writing, while the constant ‘recirculant delay line’ of the structure creates a slowly shifting organic texture reminiscent of Tristan Murail’s masterpiece Mémoire/Érosion.
This work was commissioned and premiered by soundinitiative, with funding from Victoria University of Wellington.