Description
Hatching Aliens is a journey of the imagination. It is not modelled on any particular previous work either by myself or other composers. However, its primal explorations perhaps have some echoes of the feelings of Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring along with hints of darkness of the film “Alien”, whilst also seeking some resolutions, dialogue and empathies in, and with, the unknown. As with other works it has an existential dimension; certainly it reaches into origins, corners and twists of reality with, for example, the quarter-tones being used partly as a metaphor for peering inbetween. Our world can be curiously alien, frightening and strangely beautiful. Hatching Aliens themselves would presumably be fascinating, alluring and earth shatteringly scary all at once …. what would we learn about ourselves?
The opening section that begins inside the flute is the seed of the work. From here the work has taken on a life of its own which has always been intrinsically connected with the imaginations of the title.
This work was previewed in the summer of 2008 at flute courses in St Andrews, Scotland and Woldingham, England before its official premiere at the British Flute Society Convention in Manchester August 2008. The USA premiere was at the National Flute Association’s Convention in New York City August 2009. Both convention performances were by Ian Clarke with the inimitable Tim Carey.