One Minute: 15 pieces for orchestra

In his second collaboration with artists Dalziel + Scullion, Craig Armstrong wrote a series of short orchestral works under the title One Minute: 15 Pieces for Orchestra (2005). Each piece sets natural and electronically-treated sounds to the artists’ filmed fragments of cloudscapes from locations across Scotland. To reflect the haiku-like restraint of the films Armstrong created a strict harmonic plan, starting with a simple pentatonic scale for Knoydart, gradually increasing and then decreasing in complexity.

Matthew Dalziel and Louise Scullion began working together in 1993 to create art that examines the fabric and ecology of Scotland. One Minute was commissioned by Horsecross Arts and performed by the RSNO to mark the opening of the new Perth Concert Hall.