Song of the Trees

Song of the Trees hints at the mysticism of the ancient woodland as it fleetingly reveals it’s secret life-force.

It is scored for flute and clarinet with live processing (optional) and fixed media.  These woodwind instruments were specially chosen for their organic link to the theme of the piece, making use of extended techniques on both instruments. The fixed media track of the whispering wind was created from transformed clarinet and bassoon samples. All other sounds are created live with automated processing of the flute and clarinet, generating both the floating magical touches in the melodic sections, where the translucent harmony emerges through the mist, and the dramatic metamorphoses in the central sections.  These seemingly impossible powerful and wild transformations transcend the original timbre of the flute and clarinet, whilst remaining firmly rooted in the earthy spirituality of the forest. (Gareth Stuart - Clarinet,   Amanda Stuart - Flute)

In 2022 I created the film “Song of the Trees” which had it’s World Premiere at the Earth Day Art Model Festival IUPUI.

This film celebrates the beauty and strength of these of these magnicificent living scupltures.   A journey that takes you floating above the tree tops, with images layered and woven together to create mesmerising 3D effects, altering the perpsective so all is not what it seems - from the textural microcosm of gnarled bark, to soaring above snow covered mountain ranges. The visuals were created from photographs taken over several seasons in the village where I live.