Narcissus at the well of segais
Ensemble Nouvelle Vague
Busan Art Center, Busan, Korea
World Premiere, 2023-6-17
Narcissus at the Well of Segais
clarinet and string trio, 12’ (2023)
…topur diamair bói 'na dún,
assa maided cech mí-rún…
[…a secret well there was in his stead,
from which gushed forth every kind of mysterious evil…]
(trans. Edward Gwinn, 1913)In medieval Irish poetry the well of Segais is a forbidden source of waters of wisdom, into which a single glance will destroy the eyes of the looker. In ancient Greek myth, Narcissus falls in love with his own reflection in a pool of water and wastes away. In some versions of the story, he kills himself because he cannot have the object of his desire.
I imagine a meeting of these two myths. What if Narcissus had encountered his reflection in the dark wellspring of Segais? In this music, slowly shifting rhythms, pure string harmonics, and fragile clarinet microtones create shimmering harmonies which mirror the water’s ripples. Narcissus, bewitched by beauty, is simultaneously suffering and mad. What fate is it to obsessively seek your own face in those dark waters, even after having been made blind?