Cwicseolfor (2021)

Date of composition: 2021; Duration: 9’00; Commissioning body: Barbican Centre London/European Concert Hall Organisation in collaboration with B:Music; Premiere performance: 21 November 2021, Müpa Budapest; Premiere performer: Isata Kanneh-Mason; Publisher: Eleanor Alberga

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Eleanor writes:

“‘Cwicseolfor’ is the ancient spelling of quicksilver; itself the word for the element mercury. This word in its old English spelling is to be found in reference to the alchemy of those times. As a child, I remember being fascinated with watching mercury in a container; how it didn’t adhere to anything and moved and changed direction rapidly. There was also an almost unbelievable brilliance on the surface of this stuff.

‘Cwicseolfor’ is about that experience, and the piece mimics the qualities of unrealistic shine, non-adherence and rapid changes of pace and direction. For the player it is virtuosic – always changing in mood, tempo and variation of material. I suppose the alchemy lies in transforming my childhood experience into a piece of music.”

Instrumentation:

Pf solo