Solo for Amplified Bassoon & Filtered Noise
Year 2023 • Instrumentation amplified bassoon, analog delay, filtered noise • Length 5:20
[Thurston; 2023]
This piece came out of conversations with the wonderful bassoonist Lauren Martin about our mutual reticence around taking up space in the world, and, particularly, in group improvisation situations. We also shared a love for extended bassoon technique and just intonation. We conceived, composed, and performed within a matter of days. Amplification, analog delay, and a series of gestures were provided to Lauren to aid her in fighting through tuned white noise. In the end, the soloist triumphs.
Lauren Martin (bassoon and delay); Tyson Thurston (filtered white noise, A/V edit)
Thank you to Jack Herscowitz and Matt Leveque for facilitiating the collaboration and performance of this piece.
Note on video: Field recorder audio, camera phone video. Cleaning and VFX by TT.
This piece was composed through conversation and improvising. The final score is merely a reminder of the timing, tuning deviations, and techniques discussed in our brainstorming sessions. An early draft is provided, despite my misgivings at sharing such an unpolished score.