Release date: 11 December 2026
Collaboration is at the heart of this new disc Glimpsing from Huddersfield Contemporary Records; four composers associated with the University of Huddersfield’s Centre for Research in New Music worked closely over several months with the exceptional talents of four key members of Plus-Minus Ensemble in a line-up of clarinet, guitar, violin and cello. Through a fruitful process of dialogue and exchange, each composer has been granted a safe space to experiment and to challenge the limits of their own practice, leading to a contrasting set of pieces and working processes that take us into an uncharted world of sonic possibilities and unexpected forms.
Florence Christman’s Caustics explores what the composer describes as “interaction, hybridity, boundary and fluidity”. Granulated and processed sounds reveal themselves through real-time interaction; always transient and in flux, constantly enabling new sonic possibilities to arise at any given moment. By contrast, Paul Dunkerley’s Glimpsing feels structural and crystalline: each movement a mirror of the last, reconfigured through time. The patient unfolding of sounds is presented as a series of veiled textures that always feel perceptually unstable yet carefully defined. Mary Bellamy’s work, surfacing, explores the sound possibilities of the clarinet, electric guitar, violin and cello. The surface is expressive, dynamic and gossamer; gliding pitches are juxtaposed in sharp contrasts that draw the listener into an ephemeral world in constant transition. The final work on the disc, David Nunez’s Clash of Performatic Circumstances, combines the infectious driving rhythms of pre-recorded Afro-Venezualan grooves with raucous, near-unison melodies and buzzing textures. The work combines controlled elements with real-time decisionmaking, allowing active relationships to emerge between the performers.
In a political climate of economic pressures and tight deadlines, this disc attests to what might be revealed when composers and performers are given time to work together, when their ideas can be tried and tested patiently, and when collegiality is placed at the heart of a project.
Florence Christman, Paul Dunkerley, Mary Bellamy & David Nunez composers
Plus-Minus Ensemble
RECORDING CREDITS
All tracks recorded by Alex Harker at St Paul’s Hall, University of Huddersfield on 31 May 2025
Mixed and Mastered by Alex Bonney July 2026
Produced by Alex Harker
Cover Artwork: “Chaos #2” by John Rice, licensed under CC BY 2.0
Inlay and CD image: “IMG_4141” by Patrick Denker, licensed under CC BY 2.0
Photos of Plus-Minus Ensemble: Alex Harker
Design: Mike Spikin
Project management: Mary Bellamy and Alex Harker, CeReNeM for Huddersfield Contemporary Records (HCR) in collaboration with NMC Recording
Catalogue no: HCR41
