Live recording of the premiere performed by the Dublin Laptop Orchestra
Instrumentation: 4 laptops, 4 gametrak controllers
Type: electro-acoustic/multimedia
Year: 2013
Premiere: Performed by the Dublin Laptop Orchestra, 13th November 2013, National Concert Hall, Dublin.
Duration: 6’
There Once Was is written for live improvised electronics
There Once Was is a spoken word piece based upon four well known fairy-tales. In approaching this piece I treated the performers like a quartet: working with each other, while having their own voice within the piece. I chose four narrators: a soprano, alto, tenor and bass to each fill up one of these parts. Central to the composition is a play on the rate of playback, affecting the voices’ tone, pitch and rhythm. The four narrators are Margaret Bridge, Heather Fogarty, Ben Escorcio and Benjamin Russell. The four fairy-tales are…well, you should know!