Skip to content
Sound World
  • HOME
  • ABOUT
    • NEWS
    • Composers
      • Evelyn Glennie
      • Sadie Harrison
      • John Pickard
      • Julian Leeks
      • Anna Meredith
    • PHOTOS
  • CONTACT
  • PROJECTS
    • MUSICAL MINDS
    • Reflections & the Coronavirus Fund for Freelance Musicians
      • Coronavirus Fund for Freelance Musicians
    • In The Steps of Apollo
      • Apollo press release
      • In The Steps of Apollo feedback form
      • In The Steps of Apollo Schools’ Tour: feedback form
    • The Composing Club Project
    • YOUNG COMPOSERS’ COMPETITION
    • Beyond The Menagerie…
  • EVENTS
  • Features
    • SOUND WORLD SOUNDS
      • Sally Beamish
      • Sadie Harrison
      • Dame Evelyn Glennie
      • Howard Skempton
      • Anna Meredith
      • Sir James MacMillan
      • Roxanna Panufnik
      • Nico Muhly
    • Podcasts
    • Interview: Geoff Poole
  • OPPORTUNITIES
  • Audio/Video
  • GOVERNANCE
    • PATRONS
  • SUPPORT SOUND WORLD

Dame Evelyn Glennie

Dame Evelyn Glennie writes about Arvo Pärt’s Spiegel im Spiegel

Photo by Caroline Purday

A big thank you to Evelyn – brilliant, internationally renowned percussionist and Sound World patron – for telling us about this beautiful and captivating piece.

Evelyn writes,
If there is one piece of music I could be stranded on a dessert island with it would be “Spiegel im Spiegel” by Arvo Part. The title in German literally can mean both “mirror in the mirror” as well as “mirrors in the mirror”, referring to an infinity mirror which produces an infinity of images reflected by parallel plane mirror. In my mind this piece is the bridge that merges the physical act of hearing and the focus of listening to its pinnacle; the bridge that binds composer, musician and listener; this music is a sound gift that touches the very core of humanity; the chance to have time stand still so that at last we can listen to ourselves and observe all the emotions which have been dormant or untouched for so long. This piece is quite simply heaven.

Dame Evelyn Glennie performs across the world with the greatest orchestras, conductors and artists. Her solo recordings, which now exceed 30 CDs, are as diverse as her career on-stage. A double GRAMMY award winner and BAFTA nominee Evelyn is a composer for film, television and music library companies. Evelyn was awarded an OBE in 1993 and now has over 100 international awards to date, including the Polar Music Prize and the Companion of Honour. Evelyn is currently embarking on the formation of The Evelyn Glennie Collection. The vision is to open a centre that embodies her mission to Teach the World to Listen.

Evelyn’s new book ‘Listen World!’ is now available here and she has recently launch an online consultation scheme via her website.

…and finally, we asked,
“If someone didn’t know the music of Evelyn Glennie, which piece would you like them to listen to?”

Evelyn’s response,
“Shadow Behind the Iron Sun” CD. This was my first ever totally improvised CD whereby I was given free rein to do what I wanted which was very unusual for a record label such as BMG to allow at the time. The material explores the creation of sound from the familiar to the unfamiliar; from known instruments such as the vibraphone or snare drum to the most unlikely objects like a silencer from a lorry or a string of baby music boxes taped together. We are all sound creators in our own unique way and as long as the imagination is exercised one can only be constantly surprised and entranced by the results.

Listen to an extract of Shadow Behind the Iron Sun below or buy the CD here.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Recent Posts

  • Composing Workshops
  • Sally Beamish: Sound World Sounds
  • SoundWorld auditions
  • Hinrichsen Foundation funding
  • Funding news from VWF
  • Applications open for spring workshop series
  • Sadie Harrison: Pasture and Storm
  • W/S series and concerts cancelled
  • Arts Council England to support concerts/workshops
  • Sally Beamish April
  • Reflections: release confirmed
  • Reflections: online concert
  • BBC article on our coronavirus project
  • Crowdfunding Campaign
  • Podcast now available
  • Sound World podcast
  • Fundraising update
  • Coronavirus Response
  • March #SoundWorldSounds
  • Call for Scores 2020
  • Dec. #SoundWorld Sounds
  • Nov. #SoundWorld Sounds
  • First MLK tribute piece now available.
  • New Features Page
  • Hannah Kendall’s “Processional”

Recent Comments

  • admin. on Reflections: release confirmed
  • Nick Wilde on Reflections: release confirmed
  • Steven Peters on Audio/Video
  • James E. on Sadie Harrison
  • Chris Poole on Interview: Geoff Poole

Archives

  • March 2023
  • February 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • August 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • May 2019
  • March 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
© Sound World 2023
Theme by Colorlib Powered by WordPress