Not too long ago, this morning saw the release of the latest video produced by OMNI on-Location. Less than five minutes in duration, it presents a performance of “Whispers,” jointly composed by the two members of the Duo Imbesi Zangarà, Carmelo Imbesi and Carmen Zangarà. Those that have followed these videos probably know that many of them have been recorded in religious settings, such as churches and cathedrals. “Whispers,” on the other hand, is located in the pine forest of the Siena village in Falcone, which is located in the Messina Province of Sicily.
Carmen Zangarà and Carmelo Imbesi performing in the pine forest they visited (screen shot from the video being discussed)
As can be seen above, Zangarà and Imbesi are performing in the heart of that forest. As a result, the overall experience is one that must interleave the music itself with the visual impressions of the space in which it is being performed. Indeed, the video was conceived in such a way that one is never aware of any gear for audio capture. All that matters is the setting itself and the capacity of the music to reflect on that setting. Nevertheless, the composers do not want the listener to reflect too intently, which is why the music itself is distilled into a brief duration.
In that respect, my only misgiving is that the text provided on the YouTube Web page seems to be saying more than the attentive listener will be inclined to manage. To warp the words of the poet T. S. Eliot, the listener-viewer is best off simply accepting the combination of sound and sight as a “surface structure,” rather than dwelling on the question of “What is it?” Instead, I would prefer to make repeat visits to this video from time to time and simply let it get “under my skin!”
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