Four Works by Roger Reynolds on Two CDs

Roger Reynolds reflecting and reflected (on the cover of the album being discussed)

For a Reason is a new release by Neuma Records, which accounts for four compositions by Roger Reynolds on two CDs. Reynolds joined the Music Department at the University of California in San Diego at a time when the interplay of computer software and music was taking root at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Stanford University, roughly around the same time that IRCAM (Institut de recherche et coordination acoustique/musique) was launched in Paris with a strong relationship with Stanford through John Chowning. This was a time during which both composers with little knowledge about computers and computer scientists with little knowledge of music composition flourished. As the old adage goes, 90% of what emerged could be easily (and was) forgotten; but the other 10% seriously impacted what it could mean to be a composer and to have one’s compositions performed.

In that respect one can probably say that Reynolds himself was an “old school” composer. Nevertheless, three of the compositions on For a Reason involve either a single vocalist or a single instrumentalist performing in a context of sonorities synthesized in “real time” by a computer. The result is three duo compositions for which one of the performers is Paul Hembree, identified on the track listing as “Computer Musician.” Two of those compositions were part of a collection entitled SHARESPACE, involving an instrumentalist “sharing space” with Membree’s performance. Both works constitute the first CD in the release, beginning with Pablo Gómez Cano playing guitar for “Dream Mirror,” followed by Irvine Arditti playing violin for “Shifting/Drifting.” The third duo, entitled “Sketchbook,” pairs Hembree with Liz Pearse, whose low-register tessitura is transformed through her own piano accompaniment and electronic processing. This is preceded on the second CD by Steven Schick performing as a “Speaking Percussionist” for the composition “Here and There.”

At this point I should insert a disclaimer: I was living in San Francisco for the entirety of Schick’s tenure with the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players, and I am afraid that my patience for him ran out very quickly. Much of my attitude came from his inserting theatrics into his percussion performances, which is exactly what he does on his performance of “Here and There.” On the other hand, the results of pairing a “traditional” musician with computer accompaniment led to many engaging impressions where my own listening experiences were concerned. In what had become a techno-centric environment, this album leaves the impression that Reynolds knew what he wanted to do and knew how to get it done.

Reynolds will turn 90 next year on July 18. It is clear from his Wikipedia page that he has had a long and satisfying life. Sadly, however, over the course of my writing efforts, which now go back over sixteen years, I have never found myself in a position to write about his music. In that context I have to say that I have come away with considerable satisfaction in having the opportunity to listen to the four compositions documented on For a Reason.