2016

Bury the Sound takes as its starting point the iconic “Trois Gnossienes” of my namesake, composer Erik Satie. I imagined the sound waves from the 1893 Paris premiere drifting through the aether, diffused by the atmosphere and time, somehow recaptured and miraculously brought back to life by Decibel in 2012 Perth. Harmonic resonances from the original work are heard echoing and blurring together in the intermeshed lines of the live instruments. A long digital delay, filtering and muffled speaker add further layers to the textural moiré. Featuring prominently in the performance is a velvet cloak, referring to Satie’s penchant for grey velvet suits (for which he was known as “the velvet gentleman”).

Commissioned by Decibel with Support from the Australia Council for the Arts.