Disconcerts of Large Structures
for percussion
Composed for Aditya Bhat
World premiere performance: 21 Jun 2024 at 1:30pm, Rosina Auditorium
Performed as part of ANAM 2024 Recitals
by Aditya Bhat (percussion)
Program note:
The thematic core of the piece delves into an examination of modernist ideologies, which position humans as the dominant force, capable of manipulating and controlling the material world to their benefit. This perspective, deeply ingrained in contemporary societal structures, has propelled us onto a disastrous path, culminating in adverse consequences for the natural environment. The narrative articulates how such a worldview sustains dangerous illusions—of security, seamless operation, and collective prosperity—that, while comforting, are fundamentally flawed. These illusions mask the underlying vulnerabilities and unsustainable practices that threaten ecological balance and, ultimately, human survival. The piece explores the paradoxical nature of a 'system' that, despite appearing to function effectively for a majority of its existence, is intrinsically flawed and predisposed to failure. Technically, the piece concerns self-breaking down of a ‘system’ which ostensibly functions well for most of the piece.
About the composer:
Victor Arul (he/him) is a sound and media artist influenced by concepts of overflow, miscellany, and networked relations. He is enamoured by the ways in which self-derived systems can be pushed to their axiomatic limits. Specifically, he is interested in such strained systems which involve multifaceted and quasi-independent forces interacting with each other, contributing to a composite entity. The crystallising of interactive networks between such forces is what Victor finds most exciting. Stylistically, he is concerned with establishing antipodal relationships between sound entities, doing so in ways that correspond to his overly simplistic (and often deemed lousy) sense of humour.
Recent projects include pieces for the France-based Collective Lovemusic and the Brazil-based cellist William Teixeira. Other groups and artists he has worked with include the West Australian Symphony Orchestra, Line Upon Line Percussion, Ensemble Recherche, Naoko Uemoto, Ashley Smith, and Jonathan Fitzgerald. Some awards that he has received for his work include a Marten Bequest Scholarship, a Bendat Scholarship, a Schenberg Fellowship, the Blodgett Composition Prize, and various travelling fellowships from Harvard University. Victor is currently studying for a Doctor of Philosophy at Harvard University under Chaya Czernowin and Hans Tutschku.
Victor previously received a Bachelor of Music (Hons.) from the University of Melbourne under Elliott Gyger, and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Western Australia under James Ledger. He has participated in various training programs including those hosted by Ensemble Offspring, Halcyon, the West Australian Symphony Orchestra, the Australian Youth Orchestra, and the Perth International Arts Festival.
For more about Victor, visit his website: victorarul.xyz/