Instrumentation
fl(=picc+afl).ob.cl(=bcl).ssax.bsn(=cbsn) - hn.tpt.2 trbn(=whistle).tuba(=whistle) - perc(2): 2 SD/mil.dr/log.dr/2 BD/5 tuned gongs/2 Peking opera gongs/2 tam-t/thunder sheet/2 susp.cym/siz.cym/hi-hat/cyms/tamb/claves/3 wdbl/sleigh bells/mark tree/bell tree/10 or so tin cans/dustbin/football rattle/2 whistle/waterphone/cuica/anvil/spring coils/half shafts/scaffold tubes/scaffold feet/tgl/2 whip/ratchet/flexatone/sandpaper blocks - vln.vla.vc.db
Availability
Score and parts for hire
Programme Notes
John Woolrich Bitter Fruit Bitter Fruit takes as its starting point the myth of Vulcan, also known as Hephaestus, God of fire and the forge, and weaves it into a story that deals with the struggle against tyranny, in its many forms. At its heart the piece deals with the domination of the many by the few, and the struggle to break the bonds of servitude, be they filial, sexual or slavish. Rich in metaphor, robust in its physical style, Bitter Fruit, melds together the strong and rhythmic music of John Woolrich with Trestle’s flari for visual staging, using mask and puppets for the on-stage story and an emotionally-charged style of physical acting for off-stage antics. When mixed with music that vibrates with the sounds of the new millennium, Bitter Fruit will create a spectacle that draws together influences and threads that stretch back through no less than three millennia!
© Birmingham Contemporary Music Group