Remnants of a Resonance (2024) written for Simone Maurer & Lyndon Watts

(duo for flute and bassoon)

Recent discourse and research have and continue to examine how the loss of sonic diversity in wild sounds, due to species extinctions and industrial noise pollution, are cutting off human connection to the Earth in a slow, solemn and unconscious process. Remnants of a Resonance explores this concept through the unique duo pairing of the flute and bassoon, playing with registral, timbral and articulative nuances across a narrative of initial explorative unity, flowing urgency of reality, and fragmentation of what once was. While sound is innately and importantly ephemeral, an extinction-induced silence is not – the more we continue to abuse our Earth’s resources, the greater the [sonic] loss.

Dedicated to Christine & Sam.

TIMING: ~4.5-5 minutes

This work was specially composed for flute and bassoon duo of Simone Maurer and Lyndon Watts.

World premiere performance by Simone Maurer and Lyndon Watts on 21/05/2024 in ‘Contrasts: Music for Flute and Bassoon’ at Hanson Dyer Hall, as part of the 2024 Hanson Dyer Hall Series presented by the Faculty of Fine Arts & Music, University of Melbourne.