DURATION: Approximately 5 minutes

The organ, with its myriad of individual sounds and countless combinations, is uniquely suited to depicting the Pyrosome. This large, jelly-like colony is formed from the union of hundreds or thousands of small, bioluminescent invertebrates, drifting together as a single ghostly cylinder. Each tiny creature, represented by the different voices of the organ, continuously join together and drift apart again as the piece progresses, growing from frail solo lines to massive virtuosic passages before collapsing back into silence.

Prelude for a Pyrosome was premiered by Joshua Simoes at the Royal Academy of Music, as part of the Student’s Create Festival.