Ecstatic Movement for Hedge Riding by GR Porter

Are you looking for the perfect soundtrack for your next trip to the spirit world? Allow Ecstatic Movement for Hedge Riding by composer, instrumentalist, and visual artist GR Porter to be your guide. Like much of Porter’s work, this atmospheric piece takes inspiration from traditional witchcraft, although listeners need not be experienced hedge riders themselves to partake in this ritual. 

Setting the stage with a haunting introduction, Ecstatic Movement is introduced slowly with swelling cello joined by ghostly vocalizations, tense violins, and hushed arpeggiating flute. The beginning of the invocation is heralded by the arrival of deep, rumbly percussion. As the piece eases into its second movement, the tempo increases and shrill overtones overtake the established instrumentation, interrupted by abrupt rhythmic calls. These additional dramatic flairs elevate the ritual to a fever pitch, and when it seems like the suspense couldn’t be higher, suddenly the tension is broken. Over the course of the piece’s final movement, each element is methodically banished from the space, leaving the listener finally alone in sacred silence.

- Kalen