Airbender (2018)
(for bassoon and string quartet)

As the title suggests, Airbender is loosely inspired by the fictional art of ‘airbending’, as explored in the animated series, Avatar: The Last Airbender. An extension of martial arts, airbenders possess an extraordinary ability to manipulate air and control the surrounding environment. In this way, my work imagines the bassoon as a type of sonic airbender, conjuring up an array of sounds driven by air! The piece explores the agility of the bassoon and extremes of register, and seeks to highlight the solo capabilities of the instrument. Airbender is further inspired by slap bass solos, prog-rock guitar ‘shredding’, and bluegrass sonorities, which trickle down into the string quartet.

Holly Harrison