2023: Mother/Child for two bassoons by Angelique Mouyis


NOTES FROM THE AUTHOR:

TO PURCHASE OR CONTACT THE COMPOSER: www.angeliquemouyis.com/

TO LISTEN: (recording coming soon)


2022: Na Mgbo by Grace Oforka (for two clarinets and two bassoons)


NOTES FROM THE AUTHOR:
Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
Genesis 1:9-10 And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so. And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called the Seas: and God saw that it was good.

“While contemplating and exploring several nature parks so as to get inspired by this commission, I found myself engaged in topics of our ancient times most especially here in my continent, Africa. My husband, Martin-Joe Oforka, began to describe a place he had visited when he was younger. It was a forest whose land was a river. At this junction I stopped him from speaking; melodies were already springing up in my head. I basically began to feel I was at the place and looking around such beauty which I would not naturally see in the city. I began to detail the feelings and melodies. This is certainly me feeling nature. Next thought was the book of Genesis 1 from the Holy Bible narrating the beginning of the world. Thoughts of how the earth was filled with water and then separated to form portions of land and seas. This is not a song of what I would hear if I was in such a forest but rather how I’ll feel at such a place. The rhythm of the melody can actually be likened to rhythms found in Igbo cultural music.
There are lots of rounds, repetitions, counterpoints which is often seen in most African folk songs.”

TO PURCHASE OR CONTACT THE COMPOSER: www.instagram.com/officialgraciedion/?hl=en

TO LISTEN: (recording coming soon)

2021: Immortal Jellyfish for two bassoons by Lisa Neher


NOTES FROM THE AUTHOR: “The Immortal Jellyfish (Turritopsis dohrnii) is a small, quarter-inch jellyfish found in tropical waters throughout the world. Like most jellyfish, it begins life as a larva called a planula that settles on a hard surface near the sea floor, grows into an anemone-like polyp that feeds and replicates itself, and buds off ephyra that become medusas, the mature jellyfish we so easily recognize. What is unique about this species is what happens when the medusa’s body is damaged beyond repair. Genes in the dying medusa’s cells turn on and off, changing the cells into a blob-like cyst, which becomes a polyp, and the life cycle continues. This phenomenon has been observed in several other jellyfish species and in their relatives, hydras.

For me, the Immortal Jellyfish is a fascinating and inspiring example of resilience in the natural world. It is a metaphor for the possibility of transformation and rebirth in our own human lives.

This piece was commissioned by Miriam Webber and Sarah Elizabeth Lee for their Women’s Voices project. It is dedicated to my sister Anna, tidepool seeker, jellyfish watcher, nymph of the sea.”

TO PURCHASE OR CONTACT THE COMPOSER: https://www.lisanehermusic.com/

TO LISTEN: https://silentvoicesproject.org/media/