eyes
like a flame of fire
for soprano recorder and computer
2009
Stefan Klaverdal
Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me.
And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands,
and in the midst of the seven lampstands One like the Son of Man,
clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the
chest with a golden band.
His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow,
and His eyes like a flame of fire;
Book of Revelation 1:12-14, New King
James Version
About the piece
In this piece I sought to combine music
about fire with a hymn originally composed on baptismal lyrics. The hymn is
loosely connected to the last part of the piece, and is also reflected as a
kind of cantus firmus within the "fire-music".
The theme of baptism is naturally also
connected to the title, since fire is a common simile for the Holy Spirit.
The piece also relates to the quote
from the Book of Revelation, and the use of the words to describe the Son of
Man. In this particular setting we are introduced to the revelation of John as
it came to him. The music is therefore a sort of image of that revelation, the
sense of seeing the terrible but beautiful, it is a sort of rapture or an
expanding ecstasy.
The piece was composed to Annie
Lönngren in Malmö 2009
First performed in Malmö, may 7th
2009 by Annie Lönngren (recorder) and Stefan Klaverdal (computer).
Duration: approx. 5 min
Technical information:
This piece can be played with a
computer and a preprogrammed Max/MSP-patch or with the electronics on a tape
(i.e. any pre-recorded media such as CD, a file on a computer etc).
If performed with a computer one need
a computer (the patch is tested on
Apple)
Max/MSP Runtime environment (included
in the patch)
the patch
a soundcard with one in and two out
a microphone connected to the soundcard
a PA system with 2 channels (and possibly
a monitor for the musician)
a midi pedal
The patch is preprogrammed to let the
player perform by him or herself. The changes can be triggered from the
computer also, of course.
The numbers in circles in the score
indicates when to press the pedal (or the spacebar)
If performed with tape (or pre-recorded
media) one need
a CD with the music
a microphone connected to a mixer
a reverb for the recorder only
a PA system with 2 channels (and
possibly a monitor for the musician)
If performed you need to turn on the
reverb only at the very end, i.e. at bar 84. The reverb should be set for very
long reverberation and preferably also a slight delay.