Dear friends,
I have spent the last month in Canada, spending a lot of time in the little cabin where I have composed a lot of music over the last decade. I was reading Cal Newport’s book ‘Slow Productivity’ and in there he speaks about the importance of finding simple environments outside of normal life to retreat to and concentrate on bigger projects. Many artists and writers through history have found places, from coffee shops to remote cabins, to do their dreaming, thinking and creating. I was struck that I have been very blessed (through my wife’s family) to have access to this little ‘bunkie’ in the woods near a lake in Ontario, and over the years have used it for doing much initial composing work on some of my bigger projects, such as ‘Passacaglia Apis’, ‘The Embracing Universe’ and ‘Triple Spiral’. A few years ago, I took some time in another little cabin closer to home, and made a short film about the importance of seeking out these spaces.
SPIRAL 3 BRAND NEW ARRANGEMENT
I always love hearing from people around the world who have enjoyed or interacted with my music! Its such an energising thing for a composer to know somehow or other, often in unusual ways, that your music is making its way into the world and finding listeners. After we released the TRIPLE SPIRAL film last year, I got an email out of the blue from a Spanish musician called Josep Maria Saperas Lafarga, asking if he could have permission to make his own arrangement of the 3rd Spiral for his ensemble of recorder students! Of course I was only delighted for this - and then he went on to send me a video of the final year performance of the piece with his ensemble (and me on a screen playing the violin part!) and subsequently, also a video he made in his own studio playing all the parts, which so captures the energy and heart of the piece. He gave me permission to share it with you all here:
SEPTEMBER BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS
Its been a summer of bringing bags of books from the library to the cabin and devouring them on down time! ‘Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow’ by Gabrielle Zevin was recommended to me by pal and fellow composer Will Gregory, and I’m so grateful as it was a wonderful read! (So now I’m telling you! Grab a copy and settle in) It’s a love story of two friends who create video games together and explores the complex worlds of games, collaboration, friendship and how we can express difficult parts of ourselves through the experience of playing games together.
‘Solitude’ by Michael Harris is a deep exploration of the ways elements of solitude are being lost in all the different facets of life - from our ability to deeply concentrate, to our ability to be alone with our thoughts. Quoting Vivian Gornick: ‘To write a letter is to be alone with my thoughts in the conjured presence of another person. I keep myself imaginative company. I occupy the empty room. I alone infuse the silence.’
Finally, a book I grabbed as I so loved the title (while I was looking for things in the library!) ‘What you are looking for is in the library’ by Michiko Aoyama is a charming story about the way a small community library and enigmatic librarian have a profound and transformative effect of a collection of different people living in the neighbourhood. Gentle, powerful and deeply human.
Looking forward to getting home to Ireland for the Clonakilty International Guitar Festival which starts on 19th Sept. And then a live performance of Triple Spiral in October at the Uillinn Dance Season.
Until next month,
Justin