▄▄ [ INFORMATION ] ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄
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█ ARTIST: Marvin Ayres █
█ TITLE: Harmogram █
█ LABEL: Burning Shed █
█ GENRE: Ambient █
█ BITRATE: 205kbps avg █
█ PLAYTIME: 0h 41min total █
█ RELEASE DATE: 2012-00-00 █
█ RIP DATE: 2012-02-18 █
█ URL: █
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▄▄ [ TRACKLIST ] ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄
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█ 01. Movement One - Underture 8:11 █
█ 02. Movement Two 8:47 █
█ 03. Movement Three 6:26 █
█ 04. Movement Four 7:47 █
█ 05. Movement Five 6:09 █
█ 06. Lament 4:09 █
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▄▄ [ NOTES ] ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄
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█ From Textura: █
█ Harmogram Suite powerfully argues that Marvin Ayres' string playing is █
█ one of the loveliest things one might possibly hear, and it's especially █
█ ravishing when presented in multi-layered form. And multi-layered it █
█ definitely is, as this six-movement classical work involved the █
█ overdubbing of 140 layers, with every instrument and part played by █
█ Ayres except for a choir that appears during the fifth movement. The █
█ title isn't arbitrarily chosen, either: as one might expect, Harmogram █
█ Suite is a hybrid term that merges harmonics and harmony with hologram, █
█ and the orchestral work very much embodies the multi-dimensional █
█ character of the standard hologram, albeit in sonic form. Presented in a █
█ two-disc CD-and-DVD package, the work was recorded in a 5.1 █
█ surround-sound format that's consistent with the holographic concept. █
█ Rather than hearing the material as if it's coming towards the listener, █
█ he/she instead feels enveloped by it, especially when Ayres' playing is █
█ heard in its fullest orchestral form. █
█ █
█ The ôUndertureö begins so quietly, one might think one's volume setting █
█ has been inadvertently turned down, but it's merely a strategic gesture █
█ on Ayres' part to have the music slowly blossom over the course of its █
█ eight-minute running time. Strings seemingly swim in and amongst one █
█ another, creating a languorous and dream-like flow in the process. In █
█ its gently keening expressions, ôMovement Twoö introduces a mournful █
█ quality that's reminiscent of the supplicating tone of Steven Isserlis's █
█ rendering of John Taveners' The Protecting Veil, and at certain moments █
█ Harmogram Suite manifests a plaintive character not unlike Gavin Bryars' █
█ The Sinking of the Titanic. Immediately distinguishing itself from what █
█ has come before, ôMovement Fourö opens in pizzicatti style before moving █
█ on to a solo cello episode, the move again mirroring the similar █
█ ensemble-to-solo instrument trajectory that Tavener deploys in The █
█ Protecting Veil. Ayres quickly moves on from there, however, and builds █
█ the strings into a semi-ecstatic mass of incredible force, a move pushed █
█ to an even further extreme in ôMovement Five.ö Following that climax, █
█ ôLamentö closes the album with a gorgeous four-minute dΘnouement █
█ featuring a solo sampling of Ayres' vibrato-laden artistry. █
█ █
█ In addition to solo works like Harmogram Suite, Ayres has a few other █
█ interesting irons in the fire. He's recently collaborated with Martyn █
█ Ware (of Heaven 17 renown) on a few projects, and the two are currently █
█ co-writing a joint album for release next year. No matter how such █
█ collaborative ventures turn out, we always have a rich collection of █
█ solo recordings by Ayres to turn to, including Cellosphere, Neptune, and █
█ Eccentric Deliquescence. And now, we have the beautiful Harmogram Suite █
█ to enjoy and appreciate, and that's certainly more than enough. █
█ █
█ January 2012 █
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