Suncatcher

Sun Catcher for wind quintet (2018)

Sun Catcher for wind quintet was written for the Atéa Wind Quintet commissioned by the 2018 York Late Music concert series .

A Sun Catcher is a metal object that spins in the wind capturing the sunlight and creating colourful patterns.There are also many myths and folklore tales related to how the sun was once captured, and either fixed in its proper sphere or else made to stand still in the sky. Other tales explore the idea of capturing the sun and bringing it down so darkness could prevail. Sun Catcher explores both themes, therefore essentially having two different musical ideas happening simultaneously in parts of the piece.The first is serene and expressive exploring shimmering light and colour. The second is a fast, underlating and increasingly agtitated music. This gradually infiltrates each instrument's line and captures the serene music from before, holding it hostage on a manic rampage and race to the end of the piece.