William Albright, piano; Robert Morris, piano; Gerald Fischbach, violin; Curtis Curtis-Smith, piano
Probably the most immediate aspect of Phases is the apparent motion of the two pianos’ sound in space. In concert, four loudspeakers are placed in front, to the right, in back, and to the left of the audience so that the sounds of the pianos are heard to come from any of these locations or move at various speeds and directions between and among them. This is accomplished by two additional performers who, with the aid of photo-cell-mixers or pan-pots, are able to spatially locate the sounds independently according to notations given in the score. For this recording, the quadraphonic circular presentation described above is transformed into a linear stereo version so that the four basic locations mentioned appear to be situated at the left speaker, one third of the distance between the two speakers from the left speaker, similarly from the right speaker, and at the right speaker. Not much of the original effect is lost however, especially if the piece is listened to with earphones. The primary reason for using the spatial effect, aside from its curiously enticing character, is to differentiate the textural and polyphonic possibilities of the two-piano format; different strands of counterpoint, melody, etc, are put into relief by their virtual locations and movements. As a result, the gestural traits of the piece are intensified. —Robert Morris
Curtis Curtis-Smith writes:
“Five Sonorous Inventions is the third piece of mine to employ a method of bowing the piano strings, achieved by the use of specially devised bows. My interest in this technique was not solely for the novelty of the sounds themselves, but for the purpose of bringing the two dissimilar instruments into a closer timbral similarity.
“The bows are constructed of nylon thread of varying thicknesses and lengths, and of varying number of strands: some of the bows having as few as eighteen strands, other as many as forty-eight, depending on the register for which they are intended. These bows are threaded at various points through the piano strings prior to the performance.
This title, originally issued on the CRI label, is now available as a burn-on-demand CD (CD-R) or download in MP3/320, FLAC or WAV formats. CD-Rs come in a protective sleeve; no print booklet or jewel case included. Full liner notes are accessible via the link above.
Hammers and Bows
| MP3/320 | $9.99 | |
| FLAC | $9.99 | |
| WAV | $9.99 | |
| CD-R | $12.99 |
A *.pdf of the notes may be accessed here free of charge.
Track Listing
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Phases
Robert Morris
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Five Sonorous Inventions: I. -
Curtis Curtis-Smith
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Five Sonorous Inventions: II. -
Curtis Curtis-Smith
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Five Sonorous Inventions: III. -
Curtis Curtis-Smith
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Five Sonorous Inventions: IV. -
Curtis Curtis-Smith
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Five Sonorous Inventions: V. -
Curtis Curtis-Smith
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