Music of Reynolds, Shields and Kreiger

various artists compilation - Music of Reynolds, Shields, & Kreiger

* originally posted on August 16, 2006

Roger Reynolds
"...the serpent-snapping eye" (1978)

Edwin Harkins, trumpet; Daryl Pratt, percussion; Cecil Lytle, piano; 4-channel tape part realized at CCRMA, Stanford University

"...the serpent-snapping eye" was composed for trumpet, percussion, piano, and 4-channel tape. The phrase quoted in the title comes from "The Quarterdeck" chapter of Moby Dick, where Ahab, distributing grog to the crew, draws all into a directed abandon. My intention, then, was to explore those situations in which a loss of orientation leads us more deeply into the moment itself. There is a certain aquatic feel to the music, in which the performers are joined with a complex and sonorous fabric of computer-synthesized sound.
  The work is nineteen minutes long, divided into three roughly equal sections. In the first, the primary aim of the performers is to match, submit to and intensify the taped sounds. The second, in which the synthesized sounds are sparse, introduces a feeling of independence as the performers respond, reflecting on models provided by the tape. In the final section, the live performers complement and elaborate upon - they attempt to augment - the synthesized sound.
  The structure of "...the serpent-snapping eye" is based upon various series of gradually expanding and contracting durations. In addition, the shape of each component instrumental phrase parallels one of the three models used to program the computer in synthesizing the sounds that appear on the tape. Thus, the models for the electronic sounds find a second, more flexible expression in the activities of the live performers. There is, I hope, at every level, an evident concern for matching and conformation.  (Roger Reynolds)

Alice Shields
Coyote (1981)

Tape realized at the Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center

The piece Coyote is the prelude to Shaman, which is about American Indian shamanism. Coyote represents a shaman turning himself into a coyote and back to human form again. It is made from transformations of the composer's voice, coyote calls, male chorus and electronic sounds, and was made at the Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center in New York City. (Alice Shields)

Arthur Kreiger
Variations on a Theme by Davidovsky (1981)

Tape realized at the Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center

Electronic sound is a remarkably fluid medium. One is enticed by the unlimited possibilities in instrument designs, the infinite capacity for subtle shadings in timbre, and the potential richness of musical gesture found in the sound material. Variations on a Theme by Davidovsky (1981) explores an extensive palette of electronic tones and noises. Delicately shifting colors characterize this homage to one of the classic works in the electronic field. The composition recalls the opening ten measures of Mario Davidovsky's Synchronisms No. 6 for Piano and Electronic Sounds (1970) as a thematic subject. The theme appears 45 seconds into the piece "reorchestrated" for tape alone. It is preceded by a short introduction and is followed by a series of widely differing variations. Classical analog tape techniques (cutting, splicing and mixing) together with complex synthesizer patches have served in producing and shaping the variety of musical settings. The version presented on this recording is a stereo reduction of the 4-track master. the composer acknowledges the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation for its generous support. (Arthur Kreiger)

Tracklisting:

Side 1

1. Roger Reynolds - ...the serpent-snapping eye {19:29}

Side 2

2. Alice Shields - Coyote {12:33}

3. Arthur Kreiger - Variations On a Theme by Davidovsky {9:38}

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