The sea has always played an important part in my life. Apart from the recreational joy that I get from being at the beach the sea has always brought me much peace, perspective and a sense of ‘grounding’.
Nautilus is quite simply it is a piece about the sea, its sounds and its beauty. It is one of a set of three pieces inspired by the sea, and in particular the Indian Ocean. It uses some of the more unusual sounds that string instruments can make – natural and fingered harmonics, bow creaks, ‘seagulls’ and extreme sul ponticello - to produce a haunting soundscape. Nautilus is a partner piece to Sibuk. If played together, the harmonics at the end of Nautilus lead into the musical material that forms the cello bass line in Sibuk so it makes sense to play Nautilus first.
Hilary Kleinig 2007
Duration: c. 4'56
Nautilus was written for and premiered by Zephyr Quartet in 2007.