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first in stock on
october 3rd, 2007
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| | new world (usa) #cri 0781 cd
composers recordings inc. (usa) #nwcr 0781 cdjacob druckman “jacob druckman” compact disc recordable - windows for orchestra (21:13) 1972
- dark upon the harp for mezzo-soprano, brass quinet and percussion (21:58) 1961-62
- animus ii for mezzo-soprano, percussion, and electric tape (20:07) 1967-68
| | new world press release... |
| jacob druckman: jacob druckman
cat. no.: nwcr781
genre: classical
release date: 02/2007
new york brass quintet
orchestra of the 20th century
arthur weisberg, conductor
jan degaetani, mezzo-soprano
gerald carlyss, percussion
gordon gottlieb, percussion
richard fitz, percussion
robert ayers, percussion
...
“before the run of orchestra pieces that begins with windows, the composer pitted the individual against the terrible power of electronic media. in 1965 druckman began a fruitful association with the columbia-princeton electronic music center. there he began a series of four works entitled “animus.” in animus i (1966) for trombone and electronic tape and in animus iii (1970) for clarinet and tape, the live soloist jockeys with recorded sound for the attention of the audience. the power of the electronic tape drives the trombonist off stage in animus i, but with new resolve the player returns to complete the piece and show up the tape. in animus iii the tape wins the competition and drives the clarinet soloist to the brink of insanity. the other pieces in the series have instrumental forces intervening between a vocal soloist and the tape: two percussionists in animus ii (1967–68) and a mixed ensemble in animus iv (1977). in these works a sexually suggestive chase and the adventures of a bon vivant, respectively, are enacted. the electronic tapes for all four “animus” works are concoctions of freely mixed synthesized sounds and musique concrète—music made from real sounds and noises. in each piece the concrète sounds involved recordings, altered or not, of the soloist.
the results were exciting, but hardly reflected a purist’s approach to the electronic medium. mario davidovsky, working at the columbia-princeton studio at the same time, created a series of more orthodox works, synchronisms, true dialogues for live performer and tape, which ignored the visual and potentially theatrical simultaneous presence on stage of human beings and mixers with loudspeakers. in contrast, these theatrical elements were jacob druckman’s springboard for the animus pieces.
in his program note for animus ii the composer discusses the series in general and reveals his sympathy for the live performer:
“each of the works is involved with the actual presence of the performers theatrically as well as musically. each work limits its focus to a particular area of human affections as well as a limited body of musical materials, (histrionic ‘themes’ as well as musical ‘themes’). each work presumes that the theatrical and musical elements are inseparable; that the ideal performance of the music already embodies the performance of the drama.”
“animus ii deals with the sensuality of ensemble playing within the rite of the concert. there are five groups of instruments distributed in the concert hall; three on the stage and two in the audience. the performers enter through the audience with the first tape sounds in a slow processional. throughout the work they move between the groups of instruments. the epilogue is a ceremonial exit.
“the performance of the work is a celebration of a sybaritic ritual. the tape underlies this as a mirror, memory, inner voice, greek chorus, catalyst; it is the framework upon which the pageant is played. the sound sources of the tape are real (concrete) and electronic. the concrete sources are entirely vocal [the voice of mezzo-soprano barbara martin], the electronic mainly synthesized with the aid of voltage-controlled devices. the finished tape presents a continuous interplay between real and electronic sounds, but the differences between the two are basic. a simple superimposed rhythm (such as four against five) can be charged with energy and excitement when played by people, but the same rhythm played by a machine presents only the decorative symmetries of a moiré pattern. therefore, for me, the real, the animal, is fundamental; the electronic is the ornamental with which the animal is adorned and through which the animal is mirrored and amplified.
“animus ii was composed in 1967–68. the tape was realized at the columbia-princeton electronic music center. the world premiere was by the domaine musical at the théâtre de la ville in paris, february 2, 1970, and the american premiere by the present performers at columbia university, may 6, 1970.” |
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