A uniquely epic work in 14 parts by composer Frank Denyer, with a large ensemble of 40 musicians, many playing specially built instruments made from discarded materials, with other instrumentation including sitar, mandolin and hammered dulcimer, 4 male vocalists, 4 female vocalists, 4 players of adapted organ pipes, crumhorns, bowed wine glasses, 3 double basses, a contrabassoon, &c. &c.
Label: Another Timbre Catalog ID: at149 Squidco Product Code: 28335
Format: CD Condition: New Released: 2019 Country: UK Packaging: Cardboard Gatefold Recorded at The Menuhin Hall, Stoke d'Abernon, Cobham, Surrey, UK, and 6 and 17 September 6th and 17th, 2018, at The Cabin Studio, Walthamstow, London, on April 28th and 29th, 2018, by Robert Bosch.
"In contrast to the intimate mood of his chamber pieces, 'The Fish that became the Sun' operates on an epic scale. 56 minutes long, written for a large ensemble of 40 musicians, many of whom are playing specially built instruments made from discarded materials, 'The Fish..' is a spectacular monster of a work. Still unmistakably Denyer, but massive in its reach, its variety and its authenticity. Utterly unique. "In the face of destruction, Frank Denyer makes instruments out of its result and symbol - detritus, fragments - and has them speak to us in a musical ritual.... Certainty, self-assertion and fervour are steering us into catastrophe, so here is an aesthetic of hesitance, of careful appreciation, of sharing out... There's a mournful aspect to it, but it also recalls the eternal potential for new form and therefore evolution.... Yes, it says, a life among the remains is possible."-Michael Turnbull