Holly Harrison - Ice Giant (2023)

Ensemble Offspring presents the world premiere of Ice Giant by Holly Harrison at Lone Hemispheres, The Church on 7 December 2023.
“Ice Giant is written especially for Veronique Serret and draws inspiration from the most distant planet in our solar system, Neptune. Beneath its atmosphere of hydrogen and helium, Neptune is a mix of slushy water, methane, and ammonia, encasing a rocky core. Known for its striking blue appearance, I sought to write a work that was part bluegrass and part metal, drawing from fiddle and electric guitar inspired sounds. I imagined a structure in which the musical material charged through the centre of the planet, from beginning to end, slicing Neptune in half to reveal a crosssection of atmosphere, mantle, and core.
Commissioned for Lone Hemispheres, part of the brief was to write a sister piece to Liza Lim’s Su Song Star Map. What an ask! As our musical language is very different, Ice Giant’s connection with Lim’s work is more conceptual, and looks to the night sky as a source of inspiration. In doing so, I chose to zoom in on the only planet in our solar system we cannot see with the naked eye, Neptune.” - Holly Harrison
Performer
Véronique Serret (violin)
Video by Yannick Jamey
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Ensemble Offspring is assisted by the Australian Government through Creative Australia, its arts funding and advisory body and the NSW Government through Create NSW.
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