This 10-minute duet for cor anglais (or saxophone) and percussion was born from the composer’s fascination with Opabinia, an strange Paleozoic creature, preserved in fossils, with five eyes and a snout like a vacuum cleaner hose. Davies described the work as a ‘day in the life of an Opabinia’, and creates a sense of exotic elegance and grace through quirky and expressive wind writing. The percussion surrounds and echoes the cor anglais, imagining the submerged environment of the early-Cambrian seafloor.
‘Another work whose ineffable contours quietly rearrange your ears.’
The Guardian (Guy Dammann), 10 April 2013
This download is for the Cor Anglais part only.