It’s been a while since we’re heard from Rae Howell, but her Sunwrae String Orchestra makes a glorious return with a project years in the making. Bee-Sharp Honeybee is derived from the “rhythm, pitch, and waggle dance patterns” of bees, who accompany the orchestra (or the other way around), bringing new meaning to the term drone. The world premiere was held at the Natimuk Frinj Biennale, combining music, animation and a stream of live bees. While there’s no indication that honey was sold in the lobby, the sounds were sweet enough on their own.
The mini-symphony unfolds in four movements, beginning with the buzz of an active hive. When the orchestra starts tuning, one can hear the similarity in timbre. The early glissandos suggest individual honey bees diving toward a source of nectar. Soon the word is out, and the rest of the pollinators arrive. The colony is abuzz with activity, dreaming of returning home with their precious prizes. In the eighth minute the music takes a melancholic turn, retracting to expose the ever-present buzzing, then returning in elegiac fashion, as if to focus on the larger picture.
The second and third movements are playful and short. “Bee-Sharp II” starts in a frenzy before cooling down, as if scoring the colony’s harvesting activity before the flight home. The first half of “Bee-Sharp III” is as proud as a community parade or a celebration of the worker bee; the second returns to glissandos, patient and precise, yet without the earlier tuning sounds. Then the sixteen-minute finale, which allows the bees their first “solo” at 2:35, a striking moment that sets the stage for an incredible rush of activity.
The strings tiptoe back in, careful not to disturb the colony. One section imitates the drone while another imitates the flight. At 6:34, all sounds come to a complete stop, leading to an even more tentative re-entry. The tempo begins to increase in the eighth minute, growing more agitated as it rises. Then heading into the fourteen minute, it slows to a crawl. The bees receive their second solo. Given the orchestra’s prior restraint, the hive-poked eruption at 14:46 and swirling, all-in crescendo at 15:37 are unexpected musical treats.
Over the past decade, people have slowly become aware that bees are endangered. Howell’s hope is to raise public awareness and to prompt action, such as the planting of pollinator-friendly plants and the elimination of dangerous pesticides. We don’t often use puns, but we know that Howell is a fan; the more buzz around the project, the more people will bee aware. (Richard Allen)
a closer listen 