Seanchai (pronounced “Shenakee”) is a term originating from the islands off the coast of Ireland, meaning “bearer of tradition.” In Celtic culture, the seanchai is often an elder or shaman-like figure who tells stories in rapid succession, moving on before the listener has fully absorbed the previous one. This layering of overlapping narratives is the central idea behind this composition.

A wide variety of themes follow one another in quick succession, leaving afterimages in much the same way as storytelling in the tradition of the seanchai. The piece also incorporates quotations from other composers, two of which are associated with the idea of love. This relates to the composer’s opera Hôtel de Pékin, for which Seanchai served as a preparatory study.

The idea of love and death is reflected in a quotation from the love duet in Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde (itself based on a Celtic legend), as well as in a theme from Messiaen’s Turangalîla-Symphonie, specifically the movement Jardin du sommeil d’amour, another work connected to the Tristan myth. These quotations are woven into the musical fabric in such a way that, for listeners familiar with the original works, they emerge as fleeting afterimages.

Another element links the piece to the opera: Seanchai focuses on two pitches, B and C, representing the inner conflict of the Empress—between her love for the Emperor and her own will. These tones are occasionally sounded on two large tuned cowbells, swung without clappers by two percussionists. The resulting interference of overtones produces an immaterial, almost supernatural sonority, intensifying the tension between the two pitches.

The exploration of new timbral colours using existing acoustic instruments is a central concern in the composer’s work, and one that continues to reveal new possibilities. — Willem Jeths