Croft/ Craig/ Gorkom - Seirenes

The sirens are 'entwiners' (from the Greek seiraô, to bind or entwine). In John Croft's Seirenes, whose five movements form the centerpiece of this album, the title refers to the way in which lines twist together and entangle to form a single, slow melody, sometimes distinct, sometimes obscured, as if carried by the wind. This cycle is presented alongside three pieces for soloist and live electronics, exploring the various ways that the sound of an instrument can be treated and transformed in real time, to create new colours, intensities, and haloes of sound. John Croft was born in 1971. He studied philosophy and music at the Victoria University of Wellington (New Zealand), subsequently composition and music cognition at the University of Sheffield. He has also studied with John Casken at the University of Manchester, where he completed his doctorate. He is currently Reader at Brunel University, London. His music has been performed by a wide range of ensembles and soloists - including the BBC Philharmonic, the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, the London Sinfonietta, Gageego, Ensemble Exposé, Studiya Novoi Muzyki, the Distractfold Ensemble, the Explore Ensemble, Séverine Ballon, Juliet Fraser, Emma Richards, Marij van Gorkom, and Richard Craig. He was awarded First Prize at the 2001 International Jurgenson Competition for his String Quartet and the 2011 ICMC European Region Award for... ne l'aura che trema for alto flute and live electronics, while Intermedio III for bass clarinet and live electronics won the Prix Ton Bruynèl in 2012.