Blue Carnation - solo violin

“One year I was given blue carnations as a gift for my birthday. They were so beautiful, and they seemed to last forever. They were genetically engineered flowers, and although they were called blue carnations, they were more of a pale purple colour. The idea of engineering a flower to last longer, and to have a colour contrary to what occurs naturally, really intrigued me. It aroused certain conflicts in my mind. On the one hand the very notion of genetic engineering conjured up images of discoloured tomatoes that are leathery and tasteless, and children who are completely identical to their parents, present and future possibilities that are unpleasant and disturbing. On the other hand, the beauty and strength of the blue carnations I was given appeared superior in many ways to a naturally occurring carnation.

Drawing inspiration from this concept, in this piece, I have attempted to musically convey a sense of beauty laced with fear and uncertainty. ”