Last night Other Minds (OM) presented the last of its four Festival 27 concert programs performed in the Taube Atrium Theatre in the Veterans Building. This turned out to be a particularly lengthy undertaking; and, at times, it felt like a fatiguing one. Taken as a whole, the occasion offered a balance between conventional instruments and electronic technology.
In many respects the instruments tended to be more engaging than the technology. This was particularly the case after the intermission, when the Friction Quartet, consisting of violinists Otis Harriel and Kevin Rogers, violist Mitso Floor, and Doug Machiz on cello, played two selections by Eivind Buene. The first of these was entitled “Grid;” and the second, “Chorales,” was the result of an OM commission. Both of these pieces tended to dwell on the significance of individual sonorities, either solo or in a group, inviting the listener to experience the precision of focused attention. However, the duration of both pieces was sufficiently lengthy that it became difficult for even the most sympathetic listener to stave off the onset of fatigue.
More accommodating to focused attention was the opening selection, Neil Rolnick’s five-movement suite entitled Lockdown Fantasies. As one might guess from the title, this music was composed during the COVID lockdown. One might also guess that, to avoid thinking too much about COVID, the composer devoted as much attention as he could muster to conceiving and realizing five pieces scored for piano and electronics. During last night’s performance, Rolnick himself saw to the electronics, while the piano was played by Geoffrey Burleson, whose current repertoire encompasses a wide span of music history. The interplay of these two performers turned out to be the most engaging experience of the entire evening.
Lockdown Fantasies was followed, unfortunately, by the least engaging experience. ( (( PHONATION )) ) was a multimedia electroacoustic duo performance by Bora Yoon (composer and vocalist) and Joshue Ott, providing a real-time visual setting. Yoon augmented her vocal work with performances on both new and antiquated instruments, as well as electronic devices. By all rights, that diversity of resources could have been thoroughly engaging; but the ways in which Yoon deployed those resources amounted to little more than “one damned thing after another” (thank you, Arnold Toynbee).
Fortunately, the compositions by Rolnick and Buene provided a satisfying framework for the less-than-satisfying midway offering.
No comments:
Post a Comment