Seven Face Pictures is a setting of Caroline Bird’s ‘Facial’, a cycle of wonderfully evocative poetic vignettes, each based on a different feature. Each movement is strongly characterised, from the solemn prayer of ‘Eyes’ to the strong rhythmic profile of ‘Lips’ and the acceleration/deceleration vortex of ‘Nose’. The structure is symmetrical, with the instrumental texture thinning out towards the middle, leaving just the lone voice to sing the central movement.
The work is dedicated to Caroline Bird.
mezzo soprano, flute & cello
13 mins
2010