portrait and a dream
The Portrait and a Dream series is a set of short instrumental pieces inspired by the Jackson Pollock painting of the same name (1953). Each piece of 'Portrait and a Dream' is a reflection of a troubled mind: shadows from the composer’s darkest thoughts, insecurities, addictions, and vices, contextualised by the vicious yet enigmatic representation of Pollock’s tumultuous final years.
Currently, there are three finished works as part of Portrait and a Dream. The series is ongoing, with more works being added dependent on thematic and personal relevance:
Perhaps it is the face that stares at us through the brushwork that is the dream — perhaps I see myself within the mesh of black lines, intersecting each other in a state of alexithymic turbulence?
Portrait and a Dream: Concealing (solo piano)
Portrait and a Dream: Whispering (solo violin)
Portrait and a Dream: Belonging (symphony orchestra)
I.
II.
III.
'Portrait and a Dream: Concealing' was written as part of May Wong's Postgraduate Showcase, for CODA Festival 2021, Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. The piece was performed by Fatou Sourang in June 2021.
Performers:
Piano - Fatou Sourang
Premiered at CODA Festival on 14 June 2021.
'Portrait and a Dream: Whispering' was written for Festival Mixtur 2021, Barcelona, and workshopped by Elena Rey Rodriguez in October 2021.
'Portrait and a Dream: Belonging' was written for the Orchestra of Opera North's Minute Masterpieces series in 2021.
Interested in performing one of these works or perusing a score? Get in touch!