3 minutes
Date 2008
In the fifth chapter of Flann O'Brien's The Third Policeman the central character is so astonished by a demonstration of nanotechnology that he can respond only by whistling 'The Corncrake Plays the Bagpipes'. In reality no tune exists with this title, so I decided to write one: a jig whistled wonkily by a very frightened man. I adapted parts of my Umpteenth Violin Concerto, first performed by the London Sinfonietta in 2004, to arrive at a piece celebrating nano-perfection. Happy anniversary!
Django Bates
This piece was commissioned as part of the Sinfonietta Shorts project.
This Sinfonietta Short is supported by Penny Jonas.
