Programme Notes – Sisohpromatem

For the original programme note for Sisohpromatem (Metamorphosis in reverse) I wrote the opening line of the Kafka story ‘As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed into a mostrous vermin’ backwards. This work was written in 2012 for te Manchester based group Vulgar Display, whose instrumental line up of violin, cello, piano, electric guitar and percussion explores and questions the possibility and practicality of classical and rock musicians performing together. Sisohpromatem is a mini six minute cello concerto where possibly Gregor Samsa is transferred from a ‘monstrous vermin’ back to humanity.