Lanterns: String trio for violin, viola & cello and loops

Fireflies have captivated humankind since time immemorial. As I am not impervious to their charm, I decided to compose this piece informed and inspired by their behaviours, their flash patterns and even their ultrasound emissions. The piece is divided into three parts. The first two parts (I. making an impression & II. a treacherous reply) were composed after researching the flash patterns of many a species of firefly. The first part tries to audibly reproduce the luminous choir of male fireflies signalling to the females, using the loops to create the impression of a lively forest in peak season. The second part, inspired by the species photuris - the firefly femme fatale which imitates the flash response of other species to lure and devour males – is informed by female flash patterns responses and this predatory behaviour. The third and longest part (III. what would you say to avoid death?) is informed by researching firefly ultrasound emissions. It is speculated that those emissions, created by stridulation of the wings, is protecting some species from being consumed by bats by audibly promoting their noxiousness. This final part is using the rhythmic and timbral qualities of that signal to create a funeral march, one of the many, that could exist on frequencies beyond our perception on any silent night.