Propulsive Instability

Propulsive Instability aims to capture a sense of unhinged desperation. The persistent and agitated rhythms evoke a wild fixation, like a predator stalking, chasing and hunting. Imagine you are running faster than your body can sustain, and existing in a panicked state of perpetual forward motion.

“Perpetually erratic, imbued with a terrible need to press forward, Ben Robinson’s Propulsive Instability finds its momentum with the idea of movement beyond our control… Any sense of groove is underpinned by an illusion of anxiety, as we hurry to find grounding within an electric rhythmic landscape. A work with no space for hesitation, Propulsive Instability sends us hurtling forward, almost faster than we can comprehend… This sense of freshness and of discovery are pinpricks beneath an almost despairing, animal sense of fixation that drives this work to its very close.” – Ensemble Apex

Commissioned by Ensemble Apex and premiered at Sydney Town Hall on 22 December 2021.

Difficulty: ★★★★★
The complex mixed meters including irrational time signatures and extreme syncopation is suitable for tertiary students or professional ensembles.