Polar Vortex from Âsivak by david b collins

Polar Vortex is an interpretation of Tristann Muriel’s Winter Fragments, performed entirely on a modular synthesizer. The elements of Muriel’s original work that guided my interpretation are the musical gestures, voice attributes, and the practice of using spectral analysis to determine pitch material. Similar to the work of many spectral composers, Polar Vortex is derived from recorded samples of a single sound source. A spectral analysis of the recorded samples provided the frequency content to inform the work’s harmonic and melodic material. Additionally, the same recorded samples were used to generate the different synthesizer voices, creating interactive and dynamic transformations of gestural and timbral spaces. The timbral and textural transformations within Polar Vortex are shaped in combination by the scope of my modular system and those often used in spectral composition, such as pure/noisy, rich/sparse, and steady/wavering. As the title suggests, Polar Vortex is a type of compositional sonification, employing the imagery of ice and snow creaking underfoot, the wind howling through bare vegetation, the sharp bite of freezing temperatures, and the vacancy of our shared outdoor spaces.

Composer, performer, and sound artist of electroacoustic and experimental music.