cyberinsekt

Alan Morse Davies, of whom you have never heard, is a modern composer. He lives in Hong Kong and writes music for film, tv, gallery and stage. And do you know something? He's bloody good.

I trawl all sorts of places looking for new music. You probably know download.com. It's been around forever (in internet years), and is surely one of the best-known websites for shareware and freeware. What I didn't know until recently is that they've started offering music downloads as well, all categorised in a bewildering selection of genres. Tucked neatly away in the relatively well-travelled expanses of Classical -> 20th Century & Modern -> Minimalist I found the esteemed Mr Morse Davies, and the furious energy of Night Falls Fast 1.

It's the first part of a suite he wrote for a dance performance in 2006. I don't know what it is about writing for dance, but it often seems to bring out the best in composers. That would appear to be the case here, too. Morse Davies seems to generally favour long, droning phased soundscapes, which are all very pleasing in their own way. But Night Falls Fast is something else again. It's an aggressive burst of string energy, taken at a blistering pace and with a real ferocity of attack. It's reminiscent of Stravinsky and Andriessen and quite spectacular.

So, there you have it. Alan Morse Davies: you've heard of him now. Time to sit back and enjoy the music.

Alan Morse Davies - Night Falls Fast 1