Quicksilver
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Abstract
Quicksilver (2014) is a composition for dancer, cello, Kyma and
projection technology (11 mins). The piece operates on 2 levels: firstly as an operetta {of sorts} that plays out an imaginary rehearsal of Adrian Leverku¨hn, the main character of Thomas Mann¹s Doktor Faustus (1947), conducting his composition The Lamentation of Doctor Faustus whilst in the final stages of his syphilitic induced death. In this scenario the cellist could be perceived as Mephistopheles, conjuring up sounds and music beyond Leverku¨hn¹s compositional ability. Secondly, as a hypermedial organism in which the boundaries of individuality are blurred through the interaction of digital technology, and creativity is fused selflessly within a lived understanding of a whole instrument.