Rūta Vitkauskaitė

Programme Note

Buried Chants for bass drum solo emerged from my need to explore the tonal and melodic potential of this grand instrument, which in classical scores is often seen as producing just ‘one sound’. Personally, I associate the bass drum with shamanic drumming, altered states of consciousness, and sensing sound vibrations. The piece itself represents that – it is one person’s ritual for oneself. Joanne Chiang approaches the drum like a crystal ball or a ‘witchcraft soup’, but most importantly, as a powerful tool for producing indestructible energy of sound.”