Shimmer / Λαμπύρισμα

Shimmer / Λαμπύρισμα is a suite of pieces that interrogate the complex resonances of the vibraphone, and how they are experienced in the body of the listener. Each movement associates these bodily experiences of sound with weather patterns, landscapes, and emotions that create similar sensations in the body. Each movement can be played in isolation, or as a complete 45 minute performance. The suite, when performed in full, culminates in a vibraphone installation of fabric, vibrating caterpillar toys, and the buzzing resonances of foil stuck in the vibraphone motor. Here, the resonance and activity of the instrument becomes independent of human intervention. This instrument’s eventual agency is both a playful and symbolic representation that resonance, sound, emotion, and the body are both within and outside of human control. 

The title track, Movement two: Under Ocean's Skin, draws inspiration from being submerged in, and embraced by, a warm ocean on a summer day, connecting this sensation with that of love emanating through the body. These themes are conveyed through lyrical and cheeky melodies, an irregular oscillating vibraphone motor, and pitch clusters. The movement concludes with a fast motor vibrato which creates sonic beating patterns evocative of watching sunlight refract through shallow waters onto schools of fish and sand below. 

For Helen / Για την Ελένη μου

This work is dedicated to my late mother, Helen Mayfosh (1957-2025), who experienced emotions fully, and was a warm light to all who knew her.