:
'
.. .:.... . ' '
______________ : ________ : '
\ / .. .:. .. \ / : :
\ /_________ \ / . .. ... .. . :
.\ / /___ /\ \ / ______________ ___ _.
: \ / / \ / \ \/ / \ \ \ \ \
. ...:..\ / _______/ \/ \ ___/__ / / / / /
: /\ / / \ \/ \ / / / . sH!
' / \/ / / / \ / / . ... .:.... .. .
:/ _______/ / / / _______/__ ___ __
.\ / / / / / / / / / / /
\ / / / / / / / / / / / .
. \ /\______/ / / / / \___ / / :
\/ ____ \ / / / / / :
\ / \ /\____/\ / / : :
________\/ \ / \ / / : '
\ / \/ \ /\ / : . ..:.. .
\ / \/ \ /
\ / \ / . '
: \/ F A N G \ / : '
____ \ / . . .. .. .:.. .
\ / presents \ / .
. \/ \/ :
: .
..:.. ,
: Artist......: Amy Brandon
: Album.......: Lysis :
: Label.......: New Focus Recordings .. .:.. .
Genre.......: Avantgarde :
Catnr.......: FCR414 .
' Source......: CD ,
; Rip.date....: 2024-10-19
Str.date....: 2024-08-16
Quality.....: 251kbps/44.1kHz/Joint Stereo . :..
.:. Url.........: http://amybrandon.ca '
' ,
________ ________
\ / \ /
\ / \ /
\ / # title time \ /
\/ \/
1. microchimerisms 1:06
2. threads 9:22
3. Intermountainous 7:55
4. Caduceus 4:17
5. Tsiyr 5:31
6. Affine 4:53
7. Simulacra 12:31
8. Lysis 5:23
______
\ / ________ Runtime 50:58
,\ /... . . .... .... \ / ' Size 95.92 ______
:\/ ', \ / , \ /
' '... ..\ /.. .. .....:. .. .... .. . ..\ /.
: Release Notes: \/ , \/ ,
' '
,: Amy Brandon s music explores sonic phenomena, not from a stance :,
: of researched detachment and research, but in service of the :
:' immediate goal of enveloping the listener in uniquely sensual ':
,: sounds. The result is music that is cathartic and tactile not :,
: only when it peaks but also when it revels in intimacy. On these :
:' eight works for various instrumentations, we hear Brandon s ':
,: timbral creativity merged with her intuitive sense for :,
: development and pacing. It is this feel for structure and :
:' direction regardless of the chosen material that makes these ':
,: pieces so compelling. Microtonality, and specifically creative :,
: approaches to just intonation, is another core concern of :
:' Brandon s music, and figures prominently in multiple works on ':
,: this collection. Lysis features premier ensembles and performers :,
: such as Quatuor Bozzini, India Gailey, Ensemble Paramirabo, :
:' Chartreuse Trio, Sara Constant and more. The album is Brandon's ':
,: second full-length recording following her "fascinating debut" :,
: (according to veteran critic Stuart Broomer) Scavenger, which :
:' was nominated for Music Nova Scotia's 'Classical Recording of ':
,: the Year 2016' and East Coast Music Awards 'Classical :,
: Composition of the Year 2017' and 'Instrumental Recording of the :
:' Year' 2018. The Nova-Scotia based Brandon has been commissioned ':
,: by The JACK Quartet (JACK Studio 2020), the Gaudeamus Festival :,
: (Screen Drive), Winnipeg New Music Festival, Instruments of :
:' Happiness, Continuum Contemporary Ensemble, and the Toronto ':
,: Symphony Orchestra. :,
: :
:' The album opens with a short solo flute introduction, ':
,: microchimerisms. The work is entirely non-pitched, instead :,
: excavating expressive, visceral gestures from a palette of air :
:' sounds. Threads for string trio is grounded in an investigation ':
,: of the gesture of a swell. Brandon deftly maps this organic :,
: shape onto a wide range of timbral possibilities, taking the :
:' listener through a panoply of ways that sound can be modulated ':
,: on bowed string instruments. Energy is present throughout, :,
: whether in the intense density of sustained tremolos or the :
:' fragility of delicate col legno droplets of sound. ':
,: :,
: An accomplished guitarist herself, Brandon has several works for :
:' the instrument, many of which feature alternate tunings. ':
,: Intermountainous is one of them, reveling in the exquisite :,
: subtleties of harmonics articulated within a microtonal :
:' scordatura. Brandon adds ambient but active electronics that ':
,: create an expansive sonic imprint, evoking the transmission of :,
: sounds over a large distance. Irregular tremolo figures in the :
:' guitar provide the technical basis for much of the material, ':
,: and at a climactic moment, the electronics nearly subsume the :,
: guitar sound with swirling effects. :
:' ':
,: Caduceus for two cellos and electronics is inspired by the :,
: mythical staff held by the classical gods Hermes and Mercury. :
:' Brandon animates the two cellos, breathing life into their ':
,: ferocious conflict in the opening of the piece and the plaintive :,
: swells that follow. Throughout, they function as two equal :
:' halves that combine into a constantly shifting whole. ':
,: :,
: For Tsiyr, Brandon extrapolates a matrix of 11th partial :
:' harmonics that form the tuning of the open strings of the ':
,: string quartet, and then builds what she terms a imaginary :,
: tuning downward from those 11th partials for the piano tuning. :
:' Flute and clarinet round out the instrumentation in a piece ':
,: that creates a magical halo of ethereal pitch that blooms over :,
: the work s duration, culminating in an explosive final gesture :
:' in the strings. ':
,: :,
: Affine foregrounds wind instruments in an octet instrumentation :
:' that includes strings, percussion, and piano as well. Focusing ':
,: initially on insistent repeated notes that emerge and fade away, :,
: Brandon plays with expectations when the hairpin gesture :
:' continues with breath and key sounds but without discrete ':
,: pitch, save for faraway rumbling in the lower register of the :,
: piano. :
:' ':
,: Simulacra is the album s most ambitious piece in terms of length :,
: and instrumental forces. The work was JUNO-nominated and :
:' features Jeffrey Zeigler as the cello soloist with Symphony ':
,: Nova Scotia. Brandon takes advantage of the broad color choices :,
: at her disposal to create a vibrant, dynamic timbral landscape. :
:' The cello part is kinetically virtuosic, circling around ':
,: complex expressive profiles that are often subsequently :,
: magnified in the orchestration. Brandon uses motoric, forceful :
:' rhythmic materials to drive sections forward, sometimes ':
,: organized in cyclical patterns and other times in irregular :,
: groupings. In the liner notes, she writes, Simulacra is a copy :
:' without an original, reflecting on how human behavior can ':
,: mirror this concept through our layers of ever changing, :,
: self-constructed identities. :
:' ':
,: The album closes with the title work, Lysis, for string quartet. :,
: Lysis is based on an exploration of common tones between upper :
:' partials of different harmonic series. By connecting the ':
,: branches of foundational pitches, Brandon cultivates a way to :,
: navigate, and even modulate in a sense, between harmonic series :
:' belonging to different fundamentals. The work also emphasizes ':
,: ways in which a variety of bow pressures can articulate and :,
: reveal different partials and combinations thereof on string :
:' instruments. While pitch and timbre are always interrelated, by ':
,: virtue of these organizing principles, Brandon has placed them :,
: in a symbiotic relationship with each other. The result, as with :
:' the other works on this collection, is an organic marriage of ':
,: parameters that project gestural clarity even as Brandon mixes :,
: and matches them, mining the fruits of different permutations. :
:' ':
: '
'.. ..'
.. . :........... . . . . ............: . .
______________ ______________
\ / \ /
\ / GREETS: \ /
\ / \ /
\ / iPC BOSS HiT2000 1way UKi i8 RNS \ /
\ / MANDY DV8 pLAN9 BUTT \ /
\ / \ /
\/ ____ ____ \/
\ / F A N G \ /
\/ \/