Uploaded March 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Theatre of the Mind (2023)
Gareth Davis - bass clarinet, field recordings, recording, mixing
Mikuláš Mrva - electric bass, sound diffusion, recording, mixing
Theatre of the Mind was commissioned by the Dutch Foundation Mousai, an organisation that uses contemporary music as a platform to explore and work with issues of mental health. It was written for bass clarinettist Gareth Davis.
Roland's composition takes elements of his mixed background performing in jazz and improvised combinations with Miles Davis and Anthony Braxton while at the same time working with John Cage, Alvin Lucier and other contemporary composers over the last 40 years.
The work uses different forms of notation, jazz and improvised influences and extended instrumental techniques as part of its musical language, thematically attempting to capture the layers and process of mental thought and how they interact with patches of partially remembered ideas. Struggles with mental health have become increasingly pronounced over the last few years.
In this work the idea of the sensation of being 'locked in' to one's thought process are juxtaposed with memory and remembering and how memory recreates constantly, creating ever-changing backdrops which can in some cases lead to inspiration while in others can be the cause of confusion and struggle with surroundings. A recurring theme when speaking to those suffering from mental health difficulties was the sensation of the contrast between the heightened mental activity, with a sense of almost physical (or in the case of Parkinson's Disease, actual physical) decay of the rest of the body.
Theatre of the Mind is a soundscape influenced not by a vision of surroundings but rather as an impression of the internal process of the mind, the constant ongoing narrative between memories, ideas, possibilities, and tasks. [MFRC010]
Art by Francis Bacon
Theatre of the Mind (2023)
Gareth Davis - bass clarinet, field recordings, recording, mixing
Mikuláš Mrva - electric bass, sound diffusion, recording, mixing
Theatre of the Mind was commissioned by the Dutch Foundation Mousai, an organisation that uses contemporary music as a platform to explore and work with issues of mental health. It was written for bass clarinettist Gareth Davis.
Roland's composition takes elements of his mixed background performing in jazz and improvised combinations with Miles Davis and Anthony Braxton while at the same time working with John Cage, Alvin Lucier and other contemporary composers over the last 40 years.
The work uses different forms of notation, jazz and improvised influences and extended instrumental techniques as part of its musical language, thematically attempting to capture the layers and process of mental thought and how they interact with patches of partially remembered ideas. Struggles with mental health have become increasingly pronounced over the last few years.
In this work the idea of the sensation of being 'locked in' to one's thought process are juxtaposed with memory and remembering and how memory recreates constantly, creating ever-changing backdrops which can in some cases lead to inspiration while in others can be the cause of confusion and struggle with surroundings. A recurring theme when speaking to those suffering from mental health difficulties was the sensation of the contrast between the heightened mental activity, with a sense of almost physical (or in the case of Parkinson's Disease, actual physical) decay of the rest of the body.
Theatre of the Mind is a soundscape influenced not by a vision of surroundings but rather as an impression of the internal process of the mind, the constant ongoing narrative between memories, ideas, possibilities, and tasks. [MFRC010]
Art by Francis Bacon
