TAG for soprano saxophone and guitar was commissioned by ensemble Cattrall, Switzerland. The first performance was given by Rico Gubler (sax) and Mats Scheidegger (guitar) at the Maiers Theatre, Zürich on May 20th, 2009.

This work further develops my research into the relationship between compositional processes, notation and interpretation seen as form building elements. The work is scored for three predominantly bass instruments (specifically one from each family; wind, strings and brass), the individual characteristics of which, in terms of timbre, articulation, playing techniques, etc., form important aspects of the material, from which the compositional process is developed.

My starting point always involves detailed research into the instruments as a potential for material, incorporating extended playing techniques as an integral part of the musical fabric, as opposed to ‘effects’ in themselves. In the context of this work, dense combinations of techniques, specific articulations and dynamic profiles articulate an unfolding formal structure of complex textures, separated by more soloistic music which highlight the individual characteristics of each instrument.
A fundamental part of this research resides in the notation of any given event, through strategies which aim to question the often rather naïvely assumed link between the performer, the notation and instrumental technique, with a view to stressing the fictionality of the work in terms of what can or can’t be directly transmitted, creating a new interpretational context. The notation itself, therefore, is seen as a vital part of this discourse articulating the tensions between notation and performance as material.
These relationships derive directly from the compositional process, which unites the various parameters/materials and their levels of interaction through the use of multi- layered generative processes that shape the final gestural nature and surface structure of the material.

https://research.gold.ac.uk/id/eprint/5575