Curatorial Statement: poweRed Line

In a society riddled with the sounds of technology, from ring tones to car alarms, the sonorities of our environment have become increasingly diverse.  Over the past 50 years, this growing collection of assorted sounds has slowly permeated the classical music scene; it is perhaps one of the most obvious areas in which to adapt new and unfamiliar sounds and, with such an established tradition and defined identity, also one of the least expected.  Throughout history, composers have been quick to utilize new means of sound production as it has become available.  Mozart's employment of woodwind instruments was new and adventurous in his day, as was Varèse's masterwork Ionisation which is scored solely for percussion instruments and siren.  The redefinition (or expansion) continued when Lou Harrison employed found objects, such as flower pots and washtubs, as instruments that were equivalent to violins and french horns, and John Cage conceived of any sound that occurs as being a sound with musical potential (or one that is already music ).  Composers continue to change the identity of classical music and expand the listener's expectations through the application of modern technology and new sounds that would not otherwise exist.

Needless to say, works which utilize technology during the composition or performance process are relatively young in comparison to the 1,500+ year old classical music tradition.  As a result, all electronic music that takes place in the "classical" music realm tends to be lumped together into its own genre.  Often referred to as "electronic music," "computer music," or "electro-acoustic music," this categorization only describes one aspect that all pieces in this "genre" have in common; that is, some kind of electronic device is employed during the composition and/or performance.  Of course, these labels tell us nothing about what this music might sound like and there are no unifying characteristics which exist among all pieces of "electronic music" that might aid in their experiential identity.  This is the case with any new art form in which a single factor is responsible for it being deemed “new” by its spectators.  In the discourse of many contemporary musicians, the term "serial music" is still used as though it were a genre of music.  As with "electronic music," the title merely refers to some kind of technique or the composer's use of a particular system/device.  This is dissimilar to many other categorizations of classical music types; when one refers to "minimalism" or "march" there are some musical characteristics that a listener might expect and receive, even in a somewhat twisted way.  Well, in the age of Facebook and Twitter, it is no longer a surprise when a composer uses some kind of electronics for a piece of concert music and the focus is gradually drifting away from the fact that electronics are used and back to the actual musical experience.Labels aside, poweRED Line consists of five stylistically different pieces by composers who have their own reasons and goals for their use of electronics and this concert will demonstrate five of the countless ways in which electronics are utilized in today's concert music scene.  Throughout the night, each composer will speak briefly about what his piece consists of, how it is made, and how the electronics function during the process of performance and composition.  Andy Akiho's work Amalgamation, is a work for CD playback and saxophone quartet and the electronic sounds are all derived from from recorded samples of the actual Red Line performers.  Amalgamation presents a super-human saxophone quartet alongside the acoustic quartet in a way that blurs the boundary between live and prerecorded sounds while featuring the virtuosic ability of the Red Line Sax Quartet.  Matt Barber's work Parallel Circuit employs electronics in order to magnify the sound world of the saxophone quartet, for instance by amplifying and altering the saxophone sounds, allowing a saxophonist to play in dialogue with himself, and even using the saxophone to create sounds usually associated with other instruments. Andrew Colella’s dmhs is inspired by the idea of Stan Brakhage’s film Delicacy of Molten Horror Synapse that is based on the recent version of "Molten Horror" - video games.  The moving shapes and colors one sees when his/her eyes are closed remain the stylistic constant between Colella’s interactive video component and Brakhage's film.  As the saxophonists perform the work, a video including a variety of film fragments responds accordingly to their sounds.  In addition, thin and brittle processed sounds radiate into the room and further mimic Brakhage’s idea with one that includes distant "molten" sounds that may be internal to any individual.  Red Bird, by Robert Pierzak, was inspired by an Agnes Martin painting of the same name. Martin's work consists of a subtle off-white polymer paint that covers a six by six foot canvas. Over this base is a grid of incredibly faint red horizontal lead lines spaced about a quarter inch apart. If looked at from a distance, only a subtle red tint appears on an empty canvas. If viewed up close, the lines become visible and gain their own personalities, as Martin retained small "flaws" and unmistakable traces of her hand drawing them. Pierzak's piece lends itself to exploring the border of presentation, and representation. The electronics simply draw from Martin's taste for the indiscernible (presentation), while the sax quartet's music was written as an abstract melody first, then arranged into sound with all its imperfections (representation).  During my own work, Secret Corners, the saxophone quartet is placed at four points around the audience which are complementary to the four points created by a quadraphonic speaker array.  The electronics serve multiple purposes throughout my piece; to create an encapsulating and meditative environment of sounds, to process and extend the sound of the acoustic saxophone and to provide an interactive and responsive "fifth performer."  Each of these works are brand new and were composed specifically for Interval 3.2 and the Red Line Sax Quartet.  As the premiere will demonstrate, no two works on this concert belong in the same stylistic category; yet, they are all examples of "electronic music."Baljinder Sekhon, Curator