Omie Speaks: on the words of my great-grandmother, for saxophone quartet and quadraphonic tape

2009, 10 minutes

written for the students of Ronan Baudry at the Conservatory of La Courneuve/Aubervilliers

What exactly she's saying doesn't matter all that much. My cousin, before I was born, interviewed my great-grandmother about her (our) family history. I was recently asked to digitize the tape, and decided to use her voice as the basis of a piece. I've taken three location words from the tape, disguised them, and turned them into the bed for a 10-minute sax quartet.

The score reflects my interest in directed improvisation: large sections of the work present the ensemble with several cells to play in whichever order pleases them. It's a demanding task, as they must improvise while listening to each other, and also the tape, which waits for nobody.

Scores

If you are interested in a score and parts for Omie Speaks, please contact Nissim.

Performances

Premiere February 13, 2009 by saxophone students of Ronan Baudry at l'Espace Renaudie, Aubervilliers, France.