2015 Commissioned by Dame Evelyn Glennie as part of her “50 By 50” project in celebration of her 50th birthday.
Solo tam-tam (plus 1-4 music boxes)

Sandman’s Castle

(for solo tam-tam and 1-4 music boxes)

Sandman’s Castle was written for Dame Evelyn Glennie as part of her “50 for 50” project to celebrate her 50th birthday – 50 composers would compose 50 measures of music for a solo percussion instrument. For this project, I chose the tam-tam as my instrument of choice. For years I had been drawn to its sonic beauty and many expressive possibilities. As well, writing for such an instrument allowed me to explore unchartered territories and open up new directions in my creative thinking, most especially the concept of “haptic listening” – where the ears function as organs of touch that feels/traces the surface, texture, and grain of every sound. For me, I view this work as a mystical journey into the world of dreams, ruled by the Sandman, with Ms. Glennie serving as the listener’s guide.

0,Sandman’s Castle