Written by Those of you who follow Lîla Dance’s work will know that we are two-thirds of the way through making our new piece The Incredible Presence of a Remarkable Absence. This is the fifth soundtrack I have made for Lîla Dance, and is all set the be the longest and most exciting work yet. The piece takes Lîla into a more physical theatre world, taking inspiration from Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot, to create a tragic-comedy that shifts between, absurd, vulnerable and bittersweet scenarios.
The score contains lots of field recordings- the South downs, particularly Devil’s Dyke, provided some beautiful recordings of birds and crickets, and during our residency at Pavilion Dance, I put my waterproof trainers to the ultimate test and stood at the water’s edge on Bournemouth beach recording a ferocious wind.
Tim Scarlett came to the Creation Space at The Point, Eastleigh and recorded some elegant and fascinating cello improvisations. The track also contains some trade mark Dougie Evans guitar, although this time recorded on a Fender Strat electric guitar.
Our last two weeks together will be extremely busy for me, as we try to link up the sections and find subtle and appropriate cues to guide the dancers through the piece. As is always the case when composing for contemporary dance, it will be important that there is a balance of sound design and composition, so that the music never says too much and lets the performance speak for itself, whilst retaining continuity so that the music is never a shock when it takes the foreground.
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