AGR003

“Moving Forwards, Looking Backwards” explores the experiences of two distinct timeframes: a linear “present” and a non-linear recollection of the “past”. The structure is inspired by “The Odyssey” by Homer, in which the storyline that follows Odysseus’s arrival back in Ithaca is interspersed with recollections of the events that lead to that point. Another analogy is meeting someone for the first time and learning about them by sharing experiences in the present and also telling stories about the past.

In this composition the present timeframe (entitled “Moving Forwards”) is sequentially revealed, and as this occurs the earlier sections become part of the past and their reappearances are coloured by the unreliability of human memory (represented by a higher degree of freedom of interpretation by the ensemble in performance). The past timeframe (“Looking Backwards”) is made up of non-linear fragments of material that fit together but have no specific narrative order, just as memories and stories from the past emerge organically and not necessarily in chronological order. These sections are spontaneously constructed in the performance and filtered through the interpretation of a chosen soloist.

“Moving Forwards, Looking Backwards” is a work that is based around a very specific large structure but allows for significant collective contribution from the performers. It will be very different each time it is performed but will retain its identity through its basic materials and its large scale structure.

released 6 July 2017