# Rebecca Saunders



## Sina

Lesser-known Berlin-based British composer, obsessed with Beckett and colors, is a truly unique voice in the contemporary music scene. Kairos has released a few of her works ranging from solo to orchestral in two albums. Also an album of mostly solo and duets on Wergo and a chamber spatial piece on Neos, still so few available especially from her larger force works e.g. concertos and orchestral works.

But there is something absolutely special in her chamber works, which are usually for unusual combinations of instruments, quoting from the Wergo release booklet: "Rebecca Saunders is assisted in this act of forming sounds from the silence by the performers with whom she rehearsed individually, in a kind of laboratory situation, to find new sound material and distill it. Frequently she met with musicians like those of musikFabrik and first sought inspiration from the technical possibilities of the instruments - although the inventiveness inquisitive soloists today overcomes nearly all limitations. [...] In this way the physical presence of the instruments and their interaction can only be experienced in an extended phase of experimentation with familiar interpreters - for Saunders that is a clear advantage of working with small ensembles."

In her own words: "Writing chamber music comes far more naturally for me, probably because I need to work closely with these individual sounds, and to engage with the physicality of the instrument."

She much deserves more attention (also more recordings!). She won't fail.


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## Albert7

I will check her out then.


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## schigolch

In the 1970s, the American writer Theodore Sturgeon published a short story named "Slow Sculpture" that went to win both the Hugo and Nebula Awards.

And this is exactly my feeling when listening to Ms. Saunder's pieces. Slowly sculpted, note by note. And beautifully sculpted, too.


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## ptr

I've listened to Sounders music for about 15 years, a quite fine composer and nots as neglected at You seem to think, neither are Lachenmann or Dillon!

/ptr


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