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[I’ve taken my title from a New York Times music review by
Bernard Holland in which he observes: “Simplicity is one thing, triviality
another.”] Non-Trivial Simplicity Grant Chu Covell [August 2006.] Neophyte composers love their materials to death. Been there, done that:
repeating the same damned progressions simply because the suspension pleased
me, unaware that neighbors were arranging for my
untimely demise. Seasoned composers develop their materials so that their
beauty shines from any number of angles. But simple sounds will also do — so
long as they’re well recorded.
Burkhard SCHLOTHAUER: abregistrieren
(1998/2003). Eva-Maria Houben (organ). Edition Wandelweiser Records EWR 0501 (http://www.timescraper.de/ewre/index.html). “ChamberEvents.” Burkhard SCHLOTHAUER:
55 similar sounds plus 2 drummers drumming (1998/99); events
#5 (1994/95); organic microtonal polyphonia
(2003). Edition Wandelweiser Records EWR 0502
(http://www.timescraper.de/ewre/index.html). In abregistrieren, the “king of
instruments” asphyxiates and expires in C. Of 50 minutes duration, a monster unison of multiple stops emerges and recedes. The
organist leans on keys to produce bold sound, only to wiggle stops in order
to alter and contrast the mixture. The ever-frugal Schlothauer also wants the
listener to attend to the gaps among noises, quaverings
and the odd beatings that occur when stops stall in unaccustomed positions.
Enjoy abregistrieren at high volume
to savor the thunder of an organ that sometimes
sounds like a vacuum cleaner, a car rattling across a metal bridge, or a
dishwasher’s rinse cycle. The stops cavort until, choked into submission,
only the bellows’ breath remains. “ChamberEvents” reveals D.J. Burkhard’s remix. Schlothauer artfully rehashes older
works including prior Edition Wandelweiser
Records releases. Ably representing EWR’s
roster, Schlothauer banishes all ornamentation, preferring to revel in naked
tones. 55 similar sounds plus 2 drummers drumming layers an
instrumental group (sax, trumpet, tuba, violin, cello, double-bass and
accordion) over two percussionists. The instruments share one chord
instrumented 55 different ways, repeating the event amidst pitch and color manipulations. As a distracting and inspired
addition, the drums come and go, hammering out an unrelated pulse. Events
#5 charts constellations from solitary piano and clarinet lines.
Especially remarkable combinations arise in organic microtonal polyphonia, the fourth part of which layers three
multi-tracked instruments (flute, clarinet and trombone) into billboard-sized
tapestries. As always, EWR’s recording quality is
unsurpassed: Wandelweiser’s quiet glows warm
and buttery. When sounds do arrive, they are full-bodied, their details and
contours laid bare. These newish
releases abandon jewel boxes for stiff folded cardboard. Some have plastic
nubs to hold their CDs in place.
“Awakening at the Kyle GANN: Long Night (1980-81). Sarah
Cahill (piano). Cold Blue Music CD0019 (http://www.coldbluemusic.com/). Byron’s Evaporated Pleasure demands attention. Markedly
different from its monolithic companions, this piano duo scrambles short
gestures that appear to have been ripped from Conlon Nancarrow’s
piano rolls. The Xenakis-like scale fragments with
their unpredictable accents and silences don’t reflect the other pieces’
simplistic auras. Throughout its unyielding 13:11, Byron’s title piece, a
fracas for string quartet, sounds like a startled flock giving flight. With
slowly moving string chords and repeated piano tones, the reassuring Continents
of City and Love spreads like a spilled soda, a sentimental
recollection of better times. Tidal could be similarly
described, with the rolling piano chords eventually overwhelming the tender
string wash. The short As She Sleeps brings down the curtain
with its calm repose. A long night indeed! Ubiquitous new-music pundit Gann’s early work for
three pianos (or one pianist multi-tracked as here) strews undifferentiated
material for just over 25 minutes. Gann’s self-review, smugly proffered to counter positive press, reveals the work’s
structure. Frankly, I found the music more appealing after having skimmed
Gann’s notes (larded with references to Heidegger and acknowledging the
influence of Eno, Riley and Feldman). Within
defined pitch ranges, each pianist meanders through repeating gestures,
progressing together from one section to the next. Seemingly at odds with the
work’s otherwise harmless demeanor, the tonality
changes twice, creating a jarring dissonance. Contradicting critics who
thought the transitions were flawed, the composer admits that these rifts
warrant further exploration. Long Night is roomy enough for
both perspectives, though I side with the piece’s creator. Gann’s
preoccupations do intrigue, although the music’s New Age remnants tend to
imperil the composer’s ideas. It would be unfair to compare Edition Wandelweiser
Records’ sonics with the aptly named Cold
Blue. While my mixing-board days are long behind me, I do know that some
performances profit from heightened clarity, while others cannot. |
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