Author Description

Rhapsody in Red is based on a 'textwork' by the British artist Richard Long - Red Walk Bristol to Dawlish - which lists objects seen on a walk from Bristol to Dawlish and the distances along the walk that they were seen at. Jackson uses this sequence of distances to derive a sequence of durations, producing one section of music for each stage of the walk. Each section is delineated by a change of key and new musical material, but the tempo remains constant. Thus the piece reflects both the even pace of the walk and its variety of incident. The music, which is characterized by repetitive figurations, has a mesmerising, ecstatic quality.Rhapsody in Red was commissioned by the Tate Gallery with funds provided by Greater London Arts and the Baring Foundation, and was first performed by Thalia Myers and Stephen Gutman at the Tate Gallery, London, on 2 January 1991.