• Commissioned by MIAM for Istanbul International Spectral Music Conference, 19 November, 2003. Premiered by Kâni Karaca and chamber ensemble, Michael Ellison, conductor. 2 neys, vln, vc, bass cl, hafiz (voice)
11’
Publisher: Composer
Elif is the first letter of the Arabic alphabet. It is the root of the word “alphabet.” It is the first attempt at language. At vocal sound at, at musical utterance. We are speaking of beginnings, of change and changelessness. In Elif, the listener is the archaeologist, uncovering the voice of Kâni Karaca as a genuine artifact (or ancient book) beneath the dust, wholly itself, with only particles swirling around it, being swept away, coagulating and disintegrating. Instead of showing a tradition, we view a tradition and its obfuscation, the eternity of time washing, wasting, and disintegrating the tenuous presence of human culture.
Michael Ellison 