Cosmic Reachings
from Rolf Gustavson Hosted by Rolf Gustavson
Bass Clarinet by Mikko Raasakka Mixing and mastering by Tuomas Norjanen Recorded at Pessi Levanto's Studio Cosmic Reachings is a work for bass clarinet and soundtrack. The piece’s three-part form, bittersweet harmony and the long, upward reaching glissando gestures of the bass clarinet form the core of the piece. The work's aims and objectives are understandable through the interaction of its formal structure and gestural language: The piece begins in the middle register of the bass clarinet, ascending firmly to the upper register utilizing glissando gestures surrounded by breath-like chordal gestures. This is followed by a study of trills that move towards the lowest register of the instrument. After the low-point is reached, a long ascent towards the inevitable climax of the piece begins, bringing the music back to the previous high notes of the beginning. The ”reaching” in the piece sets out to reflect the ongoing struggle of science and the arts to find new ways of expression, new horizons to explore and truths about the universe, reaching for the vastness of the cosmos one note at a time. "Imagination will often carry us to worlds that never were, but without it we go nowhere." - Carl Sagan
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