Inscriptions In Granite - Electra Perivolaris

"In the surroundings of my home on the Scottish Isle of Arran the glacial movement which formed Arran's landscape during the last Ice Age is visible in the lyrical sweep of the island landscape, formed of high peaks which descend into glens bordered by hill ridges. This piece is influenced by the granite which forms Arran's mountain range, a solid, unyielding and ancient rock which nonetheless bears the traces and imprints of movement over its surface, both human and natural. When composing this piece I imagined the string orchestra as the body of granite rock, strong but still fragile.

The soprano saxophone makes inscriptions over the surface of this rock, taking on the roles of different substances throughout the piece including water flowing over the rock from the high mountain lochs, shafts and rays of light and shadow passing over the rock and in the stronger moments the saxophonist's melodies reflect the carved inscriptions made by humans into the rock as they attempt to leave their fleeting mark in deep geological time, such as in the Bronze age rock carvings found on the Kintyre peninsula which faces Arran across the sea.

This piece is a reflection on the vast geological sense of time contained within the mountains and rocks of Arran which merges with current time as natural elements and human imprints mark the surface of the rock. This impermeable substance is still constantly shifting and changing from moment to moment despite having existed for millions of years."

Electra Perivolaris 2023