for double bass solo

Commissioned and premiered by Will Hansen in celebration of his new double bass Kashtan, created by luthier Matthew Tucker (Bresque Basses)

Listening to Kashtan in a workshop with Will (whilst he was playing some Bach!), I started daydreaming about the ‘sound of making’. I was in awe at the thought of someone carving, constructing and creating such a beautiful instrument. Gleaning through the soup of my mind, when composing this piece I started to think of automatons - intricately crafted, ancient machines designed to create the illusion to an onlooker that they are operating under their own willpower. The pitch material in this work is derived from fragments of Bach’s Cello Suite No. 2 - echoes of my workshop with Will. Sitting at the piano, I played through two of my favourite cadential moments from the suite and transcribed some of the resulting resonances and overtones that excited my ears. 

I feel very grateful to have collaborated with Will to bring this ‘automaton’ to life.