Paraphrase from Descent by David Prior
'Paraphrase was commissioned by bass clarinetist Marij van Gorkom. It is written for bass clarinet and live electronics, with the pitch of the clarinet constantly tracked and responded to in real-time by a computer. The title refers to the interaction between acoustic instrument and electronics and the impossibility of a literal translation between these two incompatible worlds. The art is the trying, however, and I was attracted to the fallibility of the pitch tracking we were using to misread and misinterpret the notes of Marij’s clarinet. It can approximate (paraphrase) and in so doing, come up with a fascinating accompaniment of its own.
The performance on the album was recorded by Chris Morgan at the recording studios of the Academy of Music and Theatre Arts, Falmouth University in March 202. The recording engineer was Antti Saario. Samples from Marij’s demos of the piece feature in this recording alongside Chris’s performance.' David Prior
