From a Distant Shore

From a Distant Shore was composed for the wonderful Swiss double bassist Cristin Wildbolz and was premiered by her in Holland in 2005. I had the pleasure of first hearing Ms. Wildbolz in a concert in NYC in 2003 and was very taken with her presence and total command of the performance space; her complete and total concentration. It was this ability of hers which led me to compose a work which is very sparse in nature, just a few gestures. One might call it 'Zen like'. In addition to the double bass, the performer is required to trigger samples using a foot controller. Physical gestures are an important part of the piece as well but that aspect is of course absent from an audio recording. Throughout the time I spent working on the piece I kept having the image of one who is lost, abandoned, perhaps on a desert isle. This image led me to compose a work with a literary subtext, as can be discerned by the use of ocean sounds and such. The work was first released by Ms. Wildboltz on her DVD 'Collaborations' where it is presented in surround sound with visuals by Christina della Giustina. The present recording is by the renowned American bassist Robert Black.