Peter Sheppard Hide and Seek for pic (fl), ob, cl, bsn, 2 tpt, trb, 2 vn, va, vc duration: 6 minutes   Hide and Seek The title of this work comes from an imagined scenario in which an individual finds himself disorientated, as if having been blind folded and spun around several times. From this situation he needs to seek an escape from a bewildering environment. His identity is one of strength and is found in the brass of the ensemble. Despite having this kind of visualisation of the piece, it is in no way intended as a programmatic work. The string quartet provides something of a relentless harmonic background, which was inspired by the use of Sho mouth organs in Japanese Gagaku. Unlike Gagaku, however, this harmonic backdrop is not confined to a fixed harmony, rather a fixed process in which the string glissandi expand. Over this background, the musical material gradually shifts between a high and low density threshold and is represented either melodically or as gradually shifting harmonies. It is only at the end of the piece that the density of the material exceeds the high threshold and this is thought as being the moment of liberation. Peter Sheppard was born in Cardiff in 1966. Having spent many years working in the computer industry, he studied at Goldsmiths University with Roger Redgate, Philip Cashian and Ross Lorraine. It was during his third year as an undergraduate student that Peter began to develop a musical language with which he was satisfied. During his Masters Degree at Goldsmiths, Peter Sheppard had pieces performed by the Kreutzer Quartet, Andrew Sparling and postgraduate performance students. It was during this period that he studied with Ross Lorraine, who proved to be invaluable with helping him to achieve his musical aims. In January of next year he will commence a part-time PhD in composition at Goldsmiths. He has recently been exploring ways in which to derive musical form and structures from Origami and, is currently working on a piece for solo piano. Back to shortlist.