Threshold | Loch Insh (A Temporal Composition)

Full Interactive mix: https://www.jeremyhubbard.co.uk/jnfh/threshold THRESHOLD: is a temporal musical composition based on a field recording captured on the frozen shore of Loch Insh, just outside Kincraig in the Scottish Highlands, at the threshold between years (2025 → 2026). Starting at one minute to midnight on 31.12.25, the original recording captures this ephemeral moment in real time and passage across the threshold in to the new year: distant voices counting down to midnight across the loch, fireworks echoing through the valley, geese startled into flight, wind and snow sweeping across the ice, and the resonant cracking of the frozen surface beneath the microphone. The composition uses an aleatoric heterophonic structure where multiple instrumental voices interpret the same melodic material at different speeds and directions, creating sustained tension that mirrors the liminal quality of the midnight threshold. Musical material is derived from the ice's own resonance frequency (used as the root note), while melodic content is drawn from the notes of Auld Lang Syne, distributed across strings, tuned percussion, choir, and tape processed vocals. The original ambisonic recording forms the sonic foundation, mixed to binaural for immersive spatial listening. Environmental events, particularly the fireworks, trigger key changes and textural development throughout the piece. Future developments may include an interactive web based version allowing listeners to spatially navigate and mix between individual stems in real time, and potentially a live performance score for choir, tuned percussion, and surround audio playback. Headphones strongly recommended for full binaural experience. Part of JnfH's Temporal Music series, an ongoing research and creative project exploring the relationships between time and music using site-specific sound and time based compositional processes. JnfH | Kincraig, Scottish Highlands