a r t i s t : Nico Muhly
t i t l e : Speaks Volumes
d a t e : 2006
l a b e l : Bedroom Community
g e n r e : Other
r l s. d a t e : Dec/2006
t r a c k s : 07
b i t r a t e : VBRkbps
s i z e : 72,4 MB
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NicoÆs generation was born after the premieres of ReichÆs
Music for 18 Musicians and GlassÆs Music in Twelve Parts.
These are pieces that present themselves as purely
intellectual exercises, controlled by arithmetical processes
rather than emotional narrative, and relying on traditional,
ôtonalö harmonies and gestures only to provide a greater
transparency into their construction. But they are
nevertheless remarkably affecting. Whether for cultural,
psychological or even physiological reasons, harmony that
moves from one triad to another, or merely from a state of
dissonance to a state of consonance, is going to resonate
emotionally with its listeners.
This record doesnÆt sound like most classical records, where
the idea is to synthesize an idealized version of live musical
perfomance; the disc is a longer-lived and subtly groomed
substitute for this authentic experience. Even a wildly
innovative classical composer will usually produce a recording
intended to conform in key respects to the nineteenth-century
experience of classical music. This record was approached
from a different direction. Almost all of it could be and
will be performed live û Clear Music and Keep in Touch have
both reached the concert stage û but live performance isnÆt
necessarily the ideal context for these pieces any more or
less than your stereo at home.
Of course, even terms like ôproducer,ö ôengineerö and
ôprogrammerö understate ValgeirÆs role in a collaboration such
as this one. ValgeirÆs contribution here is not only
technical but creative: in his unorthodox handling of ambience
and balance on this album, heÆs as much an interpreter of the
music as the conductor would be on a conventional orchestral
recording; in his sensitive digital realization of the
electronic noises in this music, he is as much a performer as
any of the other instrumentalists. In this respect, his role
is less like that of a traditional classical producer than it
is like that of the post-Sgt. Pepper rock producer. For one
thing, the instruments are miked ôtooö closely, letting the
listener in on the sort of nitty-gritty lips-on-mouthpiece,
bow-on-string mechanics of musical performance that are
usually washed away by concert-hall acoustics. ValgeirÆs
recording and production donÆt sit back and let the music
sweep the listener away, emotionally; it leans forward in
exacting scrutiny and urges the listener to pay attention as
well.
This is an especially arresting choice given that the music is
composed using a highly expressive vocabulary. WhatÆs being
scrutinized, then, but expression itself? ôSpeaks Volumes,ö
ôIt Goes Without Saying,ö ôKeep in Touch,ö ôHonest Musicö;
most of the titles on this album describe an attempt to
communicate. The title ôClear Musicö could describe the
transparency of its musical texture (a texture inspired,
appropriately enough, by a Bj÷rk album Valgeir recorded), but
it could also refer to the insistency with which its musical
ideas are put forward. It attempts to ômake itself clear.ö
Likewise, ôQuiet Musicö doesnÆt necessarily describe the sound
of the piece û if youÆre listening to this record at a high
volume, you might even find the entry of the melody a little
jarring û but it does describe, among other things, the
succinctness and discretion with which it communicates.
No composer can escape the sentimental implications of a
musical device; no pianist can escape the physicality of his
or her musical performance û an arpeggio up the ivories is
going to tickle them no matter what. In fact, the lack of
adornment over one of these constructions, in suggesting a
reticence towards self-expression, is itself highly
expressive. In the hands of someone willing to manipulate
these things, the flattest surface, the merest gesture, even
the deepest silence speaks volumes.
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01-Clear Music [09:29]
02-It Goes Without Saying [09:23]
03-Honest Music [06:19]
04-Quiet Music [04:38]
05-Pillaging Music [08:05]
06-A Hudson Cycle [03:21]
07-Keep In Touch [12:17]
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53:32 min