___ _ __ __
___/ (_)_________(_)___/ /__ ____ / /_
/ __ / / ___/ ___/ / __ / _ \/ __ \/ __/
/ /_/ / (__ |__ ) / /_/ / __/ / / / /_
\__,_/_/____/____/_/\__,_/\___/_/ /_/\__/
d i s s i d e n t
_______________________________________________________________________
a r t i s t : Harry Partch
t i t l e : The Harry Partch Collection Vol. 4
d a t e : 1997
l a b e l : CRI
g e n r e : Avantgarde
r l s. d a t e : Dec-2003
t r a c k s : 11
b i t r a t e : 192kbps
s i z e : 102,6 MB
_______________________________________________________________________
CRI CD754
This CD contains one of Harry Partch's most important works. It
ranks in scope and inventiveness with Delusion of the Fury. It
is by turns moving and playful.
After a disappointing experience working on a music-theater
version of Oedipus, Partch turned to humor and satire in this
work. Written for the University of Illinois/ Champaign-Urbana,
the episodic work satirizes aspects of collegiate life but in
the style of ancient ritual theater. Dancers, singers and
musicians are integrated on the stage on a "gasamskunstwerk"
for the 21st century.
Musically, the Bewitched is a good introduction to Partch's
longer piece. It is written for a combination of his originally
created instruments and some traditional wind and stringed
instruments. Partch's musical language is dominated by
percussive effects, microtonal scales and influences from music
of world cultures. While this music is definately experimental,
what hits me most as I grow older, is how familiar and
assessible it really is. Partch bypasses the fiercest debates
of his time (tonality vs serialism) and instead moves to a far
older debate; equal temper vs just intonation. Partch opts
strongly for microtonal music, but based on the laws of just
intonation. At times the music resembles Chinese theater music,
at other times it shows some African roots. And in this piece,
the use of traditional western counterpoint and even western
folk music is evident in some of the more satirical moments.
This CRI recording is marvelously remastered. Taken from the
original 1st performance in 1957, it is amazing how clear and
spacious the sound is. I would assume that there was quite a
bit of cleanup on the origianl, just due to technological
advances in the last 50 years, but the recording sounds as if
it was made yesterday. It compares favorably to the Innova
Recordings that have come out of the American Composers
Forum...and has the added advantage of being one disc instead
of a boxed set. As a result, you can purchase just the
Bewitched and not shell out the moeny for 4 Partch theater
pieces if you are new to the composer. (Those of us who are mad
for Partch will want the Innova series as well, since it has
Revelations in the Courthouse Square and Oedipus, both of which
have not been available in other versions for some time.)
Partch is a great composer to listen to, especially if you are
new to the avant-garde and want to listen to something that is
both challenging but not too discordant. And the Bewitched is a
great place to start listening to this wonderful American
eccentric.
-amazon.com
_______________________________________________________________________
01-The Lost Musicians Mix Magic [18:08]
02-Three Undergrads Become Transfigured in a Hong Kong [05:29]
Music Hall
03-Excercises in Harmony and Counterpoint are Tried in a [05:07]
Court of Ancient Ritual
04-The Romancing of a Pathological Liar Comes to an [05:31]
Inspired End
05-A Soul Tormented by Contemporary Music Finds a [05:40]
Humanizing Alchemy
06-Visions Fill the Eyes of a Defeated Basketball Team [04:19]
in the Shower Room
07-Euphoria Descends a Sausalito Stairway [04:17]
08-Two Detectives on the Trail of a Tricky Culprit Turn [05:30]
in their Badges
09-A Court in its Own Contempt Rises to a Motherly [05:26]
Apothesis
10-A Lost Political Soul Finds Himself Among the [05:56]
Voteless Women of Paradise
11-The Cognoscenti are Plunged Into a Demonic Descent [09:17]
While at Cocktails
-------
74:40 min
_______________________________________________________________________
inventas vitam iuvat excoluisse per artes