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Programme Note

This short work was written in 1979 for the recorder player John Turner, and is a setting of Rimbaud's poem Sensation - it is an attempt to convey the atmosphere of the text rather than any literal portrayal of the images contained in the words. The atmosphere is of high summer, langurous and lyrical, with skittering insects and a clear, bright blue light. The piece lasts about three minutes, and the recorder player uses three instruments at different times, to enhance the instrumental colouring: descant, treble, and bass recorders. Apart from soprano, the instrumentation also includes cello and harpsichord.

© Copyright 2001 by John McCabe