Co-commissioned by the Wigmore Hall and the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival
Stone Fruit was composed in 2023 and first performed on 27th February 2024 at Wigmore Hall, London by the Colin Currie Quartet.
Percussion (4 players):
Teacups lines 1 & 2, Saucers lines 1, 2, 3 & 4, 8 Pyrex Mixing Bowls, Glockenspiel, 5 Wood Blocks (2 sets), 5 Tom-toms (2 sets)
The spark for this piece came from thinking about the delicacy and intensity of daily domestic rituals. The instruments in Stone Fruit include a set of tuned mixing bowls as well as vintage teacups and saucers. I mixed these instruments with temple-blocks, wood blocks, glockenspiel and tom-toms. The vintage teacups look delicate and dainty, but the sound can become quite fierce. I think of the piece as being a little bit like a peach or any type of stone fruit with the sweet softness of the fruit hiding the hard stone inside, where you might chip your teeth if not careful.