Harvey Sollberger, flute; Sophie Sollberger, flute; Robert L. Martin, cello; Stanley Drucker, clarinet; Paul Zukofsky, violin; Efrain Guigui, Conductor
Group for Contemporary Music: Jeanne Benjamin, violin; Scott Nickrenz, viola; Peter Rosenfeld, cello; Kenneth Fricker, contrabass; Sophie Sollberger, alto flute, piccolo; Gerardo Levy, flute; Josef Marx, oboe; Efrain Guigui, clarinet; Efrain Guigui, bass clarinet; Donald MacCourt, bassoon; Charles Wuorinen, piano; Raymond Des Roches, percussion; Richard Fitz, percussion; Gunther Schuller, Conductor

Concerning the Three Synchronisms recorded here, Mario Davidovsky notes that “They belong to a series of short pieces wherein conventional instruments are used in conjunction with electronic sounds. The attempt here has been made to preserve the typical characteristics of the conventional instruments and of the electronic medium respectively — yet to achieve integration of both into a coherent musical texture.”

“In the planning and realization of these pieces,” Mr. Davidovsky notes further, “two main problems arise — namely proper synchronization (a) of rhythm and (b) of pitch. During the shorter episodes where both electronic and conventional instruments are playing, rather strict timing is adhered to. However, in the more extended episodes of this type, an element of chance is introduced to allow for the inevitable time discrepancies that develop between the live performer(s) and the constant-speed tape recorder.

Harvey Sollberger writes as follows concerning his Chamber Variations: “The variations alluded to in the title of my composition should not be thought of as a group of set pieces derived from and following in the wake of a ‘theme.’ The variation idea here is more one of continuous cyclic expansion based on the simultaneous and successive confrontations of originally ‘fixed’ musical occurrences that become subject gradually to various transformation procedures. In the course of its motion away from initially fixed norms of continuation — these norms involving among other things tempo, metric structure, instrumental function, patterns of repetition — activity often occurs in the form of layered or multi-level structures which simultaneously juxtapose different phases of the total development.

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.

We have preserved the original CRI LP catalog number for this title, preceded by the prefix NWCRL, to distinguish previously unavailable back catalog titles from those later reissued by CRI on compact disc.