Over the past several months, I embarked on an incredible journey of exploration alongside the esteemed London Symphony Orchestra, comprised of 42 world-class musicians. This immersive experience required me to disconnect from the online world entirely as I dedicated all my energy and time to prepare for a truly unforgettable occasion: a seven-hour recording session recording 43 minutes of orchestral music.
Episodic Movements are:
1. Not I Eating Makeup In A Pool of Ketchup
2. The Pterodactyls Have Landed - The Arachnids Go Wild
3. He Skarbnik He - Chewing of Pith - Magic Mist
4. Drunkard Landlady - Lawsuit of an Unlicensed Vagrant- Elixir of Dian Cécht
5. Krasnoludkis On My Mind - Martian Refugee
6. Give the Drummer a Chance (Grand Finale)
During this session, I had the opportunity to present not only some of my well-established compositional techniques but also to experiment with a variety of new and uncharted material. While this venture was both exciting and slightly daunting, I was eager to discover how these unattempted compositions would manifest in the hands of such talented musicians.
How would these musicians react when put into a situation like this? The movement Pterodactyls Have Landed is structured heavily upon polytemporal rhythms and over the revision process I had to renotate many tuplets parts so there wouldn't be a disaster when they were sight reading them!
Or like this? You never can quite know what artificial harmonics sound like until you actually experience it being played by an actual musician. In picking these harmonies I just had to make an educational guess.
And this? In the episode ‘Magic Mist’ I wanted to explore unorothox techniques like speaking through the flutes and allow them to be rhytmically independent from the conductor, almost like in a free jazz situation. It came out great but it was a risky concept to explore since it is really about the open minded attitude and interpretation of the musicians involved.
In my next blog I will share some other excerpts with a little analysis of what is happening!
Now, having completed the initial stage of the project, I am eagerly diving into the next phase: developing the speaking drum kit component. As the journey unfolds, I am filled with anticipation for the creative possibilities that lie ahead.
Read about the concept of the Drummer of Tedworth:
The Drummer of Tedworth: A Concerto for a 'Speaking' Drummer was recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra, composed by Sean Noonan, and conducted by Jack Sheen on January 18, 2024. It serves as an exploration of rhythmic storytelling, to be performed by Sean Noonan himself. Designed for a 'speaking' drummer, the concerto seamlessly integrating the voice with the drum kit to create a 'fifth limb' where the voice and limbs operate in equal partnership. Various rhythmic storytelling techniques utilize the voice as part of the drum kit practice, providing a 'fifth limb' and establishing an additional extension to the fully coordinated four-limbed practice of the drum kit as it exists today.
Noonan combines new music, free improvisation, and rhythmic storytelling, treating the ensemble as extensions of his own limbs. This approach treats the orchestra as an extension of a drummer's limbs, orchestrating rhythmic language derived from the drum kit. The Drum Kit Concerto is a cross-genre music work that reimagines orchestral music, aiming to showcase the drum kit's potential in 21st-century compositions. The evolution of the relationship between the drums and the ensemble is rooted in Noonan's personal experiences, where he incorporates additional instruments as natural extensions of his own limbs.
Drawing inspiration from the haunting and drumming phenomena documented by Joseph Glanvill in "Saducismus Triumphatus" (1681), the concerto's six episodic movements adapt the concept of the haunting someone would receive if they too were to seize Noonan's drum kit. These movements evoke a spectrum of paranormal activities, delving into the eerie and uncanny, capturing the essence of supernatural disturbances that echo through the centuries.
The narrative of the legendary Drummer of Tedworth infuses the concerto with intrigue, darkness, spookiness, humor, and absurdity. Inspired by this tale, the concerto envisions a scenario where someone mysteriously takes away Noonan’s drums, echoing the disruptions caused by the poltergeist in 1661. Drawing from Noonan's previous works with jazz rock bands like Brewed by Noon and Pavees Dance, as well as the Ligeti Quartet and Zappanation Rock Opera, it establishes connections to past recordings while forging new musical pathways.
Here are some of the memorable moments from this extraordinary experience:
