Sleep of Reason

Film by Atoosa Pour Hosseini of the Experimental Film Society with music by Robert Coleman

Instrumentation: soprano, flute, clarinet, violin, violin, viola cello, piano, electronics

Type: vocal, ensemble, multimedia

Year: 2017

Premiere: Performed by Kirkos at Wilderness Notes, 1st, 2nd September 2017 at Filmbase, Basement venue, Dublin.

Duration: 20’

Sleep of Reason is a six movement song cycle using words from the American poet Morri Creech. Written for soprano, chamber ensemble and tape, each movement reflects a kind of dreamscape and is an exercise in restraint and focus of material. The text describes aspects of contemporary suburban life while simultaneously delving into deeper territories of the conscious mind, revealing a thoughtful and personal examination between sleep and waking, life and death.

Sleep of Reason

I: The Dream of Reason (sop, pno, vl, vl, vla, vlc, tape)

II: Song and Complaint Part 1 (picc, cl, sop, pno, vl, vl, vla, vlc)

III: Song and Complaint Part 2 (sop, vl, tape)

IV: Night Blooming Cereus (sop, pno)

V: Night Fire (fl, cl, sop, pno, vl, vl, vla, vlc)

VI: Cold Pastoral (sop, tape)