Red Plumes (2011)

cello and live electronics

Commissioned by Craig Hultgren.

View score excerpt [PDF].
(score available from American Composers Alliance)

Download the Max patch.

Deep beneath the surface of the Pacific lie hydrothermal vents that spew scalding water, laced with toxic minerals and gases, onto the near-freezing ocean floor. In the pitch-black depths, giant tube worms grow to a length of eight feet, protected from the harsh conditions by a tough outer shell. Having no mouth and no digestive tract, they host bacteria that convert minerals into food. The bacteria in turn receive food from the worm’s blood-filled plumes, which exchange carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, and other compounds with the seawater. A worm has no eyes, but somehow it can sense vibrations, which cause it to retract the plume into its shell. Imagine that you are hearing these vibrations.

Performances:

• Mira Luxion, International Computer Music Conference (ICMC), University of North Texas, Denton, Texas, 9/28/2015
• Madeleine Shapiro, New York City Electroacoustic Music Festival, CUNY Graduate Center, 4/4/2013
• Craig Hultgren, Hyman Fine Arts Center, Francis Marion University, Florence, South Carolina, 3/14/13
• Gregory Sauer, Festival of New Music, Florida State University College of Music, Tallahassee, Florida, 2/2/13
• Craig Hultgren, Birmingham Art Music Alliance at Moonlight on the Mountain, Birmingham, Alabama, 11/12/12
• Craig Hultgren, Southeastern Louisiana University, Hammond, Louisiana, 10/31/12
• George Work, Lipa Festival of Contemporary Music, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, 10/9/12
• Craig Hultgren, Covenant Presbyterian Church, Huntsville, Alabama, 2/19/2012
• Craig Hultgren, SEAMUS National Conference, Lawrence University, Appleton, Wisconsin, 2/11/2012

Here is a screenshot of the Max patch. (Click to enlarge.)