Still Life is a celebration of the life and work of the abstract expressionist artist Clyfford Still (1904-1980). Four of the movements are musical meditations on Still’s paintings – these are interspersed with three movements that explore Still’s passion for Jazz, Beethoven, and William Blake.
The paintings that give their names to movements 1, 3, 5, and 7, exemplify four tropes in Still’s work – black paintings, blue paintings, paintings that use a lot of space and emptiness, and paintings that use areas of highly contrasting bright colours. Consequently, there is a gradual progression from dark to light in Still Life, suggesting a journey from the depths of despair to transcendence.
The opening movement, Black (for solo cello), reflects the bleak mood of many of Still’s darker paintings. Groove (for solo guitar) begins halfway through the solo cello movement and, for a time, each player plays their own music, oblivious of the other. As Groove continues, the cellist completes Black and starts Blue (the 3rd movement). The guitarist’s music then morphs away from the Groove material and catches the cellist in Blue a few measures later.
Blue, seedy and bluesy, leads directly to a Beethovenian Scherzo of boundless energy and forward momentum. This is sharply contrasted with the stillness and emptiness of Space. Albion, which follows, is a nostalgic tribute to the poet William Blake whose worldview resonated deeply within Still. The set of pieces concludes with Colour, a vivid musical portrayal of Still’s most vibrant and colourful paintings.
