Programme Notes:

The performance opens with a solitary Violin melody that is reminiscent of an old-fashioned Waltz. Other instruments enter as the memory matures before the atmosphere shifts, becoming more ethereal and unusual as the character ponders her past. As each section passes, there is a balance between gentle yet otherworldly moments with soft melodies and the progressive disintegration of stable harmonies. The entry of the mirror is punctuated by a swift ascending Vibraphone pattern, as the young girl catches sight of her reflection. Glissandi melodies in the Cello and Viola parts illustrate the slow extensions and developpes within the choreography as the character explores her core.

As the score proceeds, the music shifts to a much darker and sinister atmosphere as the young girl discovers something terrible. The repetitive scalic chromatic moments intensely build up to large painful forearm cluster chords on the Piano, that very much contrast to the innocence of the opening waltz. As the dancer wallows in her pain, her inner voices emerge to sing and whisper to her, in an attempt to lead her back to reality, through a somewhat hypnotic waltz. Now restored, the music is more reminiscent of the earlier moments with sweeter harmonies and melodies, strewn with tremolos to indicate the fragile nature and rebirth of the character. As a child-like innocence returns with toy-box like sections, there is still a dark chromatic undertone present throughout. As the piece comes to a close, the Piano takes centre stage performing a hopeful, almost hymn-like tune, illustrating a return to safety for the young girl and all she has experienced.

 Synopsis:

“The opening begins with a memory, as the young girl remembers a fonder time. One memory follow another in twists and turns, quaint and sad. Suddenly she catches sight of herself in the looking glass and is surprised by what she sees. She doesn’t recognise the person she has become and longs for who she was before. She explores her inner-self in great detail and bit by bit she discovers things that she wished would change. Desperation takes hold as she tries to find shadows of her past self within her, but despairs when she uncovers nothing. She is alone inside her head but feels like a stranger. She is distraught with a great amount of pain and loneliness. As she sits in her own pit of despair, her inner voices appear, trying to coax her back to life. Each whispering a different sort of advice. Gradually they lull her out of her head and back into the real world, with the chance to start afresh. At first, it is like being reborn, as the familiar feelings of youth and innocence flood back to her. She starts to see herself differently for the first time in a long time, and realises that with change, there is always hope. And with hope, there is always change.”

 The Performance:

 The Poem:

“Odd thing, a Looking Glass- bares a copy of ourselves.
The one we groom, enhance, refine, although it’s just a shell.
Odd thing, a Looking Glass- shows us only how we look.
But underneath our feelings swell in fear of being mistook. 

Don’t worship your Looking Glass, for they are masters of deceit.
They have a knack to trick and trap, eccentricity.
When you worship your Looking Glass, there is a chance you’ll lose,
Sight of all the kindness within the friends you choose.

If you need a paragon, to validate your worth.
It’s in the eyes of people, where you should start your search.
Do they ever twinkle or glimmer when you’re near?
Or, are you a proficient architect in the manufacturing of tears?

The world is our Looking Glass, reflecting what we do.
You can see it in the oceans, the sky shifting blue.
The world is our Looking Glass, see what we have done.
In all our cruel and callous acts, loneliness has won.

There is a great importance, in remembering to care.
To banish all one’s selfishness, and always learn to share.
Don’t close your eyes to horrors, or run away and hide.
If a mirror showed you deep within, would you be happy with what you’d find? “