- RCS - 'Plug 8' with Ilan Volkov

Plug is the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland's very prestigious, week-long contemporary music festival with links to the Paris Conservatoire and professional ensembles like Red Note. I was playing in two of the concerts last week as part of the Conservatoire's Music Lab Ensemble. 'Plug 8' was conducted by Ilan Volkov (BBCSSO) and his contemporary music expertise really lifted these new student compositions off the page.

I really enjoyed playing in Jay Capperauld's piece in 'Plug 8', Hypnic Impact and it got a great write-up in The Scotsman (his second of the week).

Jay writes this about his piece:

" It is said that if you fall during a dream, you will never hit the ground… I say you might as well have hit the ground if you never sleep.

I never hit the ground, but I never slept either.

Every night for three months over the winter of 2011, before I hit the ground, I was jolted awake by a muscular spasm called a “Hypnic Jerk.” This spasm occurs during a state of “Hypnagogia” which is the world between reality and dreams, meaning that, due to these hypnic twitches, I never slept either fully or comfortably.

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Ilan Volkov

Three months is a long time when you experience almost the whole 24 hours of every day.

In this piece, I am attempting to find closure on this restlessness in my life by expressing my emotional and physical response to these hypnic spasms. Conjuring a literal communication between the worlds of dreams and reality; Hypnic Impact is my melancholic view of sleep where the longing for internal peace would allow me to simply rest.

Hopefully, before I hit the ground, I may find some peace. "

Ilan in conducting the BBCSSO in the 'Cage Centenary Celebration' at The Proms this summer, more information here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/proms/whats-on/2012/august-17/14218