The Acrobat (2022)

The Acrobat (2018) for Accordion, Electric Organ & Percussion (1 player)

"The Future and the Past are idle shadows

Of thought's eternal flight - they have no being:

Nought is but that which feels itself to be."

                                        Percy Bysse Shelley [Hellas]

1845, from French acrobate "tightrope-walker" (14c.) and directly from a Latinized form of Greek akrobates "rope dancer, gymnastic performer," which is related to akrobatos "going on tip-toe, climbing up high," from akros "topmost, at the point end" (from PIE root, be sharp, rise (out) to a point, pierce") + Greek agential element -bates "one that goes, one that treads (in some manner), one that is based," from -batos, verbal adjective from stem of bainein "to go, walk, step"

The pedals, swells and figures of the two keyboards entwine a percussionist who conjures up the persona of 'the acrobat'; with a sleight of hand s/he moves between shadows of sound, stretching space ruptured by 'subito' pauses and jump cuts. The Acrobat, whilst a stand-alone work is destined to form part of a larger staged project throwing into relief the act of per'formance . . . zones of both 'intensity' and 'artifice'.

James Dillon

Commissioned for project '33,7' presented by United Instruments of Lucilin for Esch 2022 - European Capital of Culture