Tough on time and the causes of time: On The Edge of Science

Davey, Janet

About the work

When COMA’s London Ensemble invited members of the Forum London Composers’ Group to write a short piece for them – I gulped. The theme of Time and the Causes of Time is one philosophers and scientists have grappled with for centuries. I had a few weeks! “On The Edge of Science” explores the territory between ‘predictable’ laws of relativity, and the small unpredictable events – Quantum mechanics. Will the two sides ever share common ground (Answers on a postcard).

First Performance: CoMA London Ensemble, July 11th 1998, St George in the East, London

Technical notes

Requires extended techniques on all instruments. Air tones, whispering into instruments, and micro-tones required from winds, col legno from strings. Requires floor tom, untuned radio, and wind chimes. Desirable for players to be scattered around or within the audience.