blind bells, cry out (excerpt) by nathan james dearden

for CHROMA

First Performance: Friday 18th March, 2016 at Picture Gallery, Royal Holloway University of London
Stuart King (clarinet), Helen Storey (bassoon), Richard Bayliss (horn), Daniel Pioro (violin), Charlotte Bonneton (violin), David Aspin (viola), Zoë Martlew (cello), Elena Hull (double bass), Mark Bowden (conductor)

FOREWORD

chorus and drones for eight instruments

'WINTER TRAVELS'
who’s typing on the void
too many stories
they’re twelve stones
hitting the clockface
twelve swans
flying out of winter

tongues in the night
describe gleams of light
blind bells
cry out for someone absent

entering the room
you see that jester’s
entered winter
leaving behind flame

Bei Dao
Translated by David Hinton with Yanbing Chen