5.3 (pdf) - CEC

GEMS
• Before the Freeze
e~'Group
of the Electronic Music Studio)
McGill Records 1991 CD 750038-2
Frediric Roverselli
Malgre ces temps de recession,
les parutions de disques consacres a­
la musique electroacoustique
continuent d'aller bon train. Le
G.E.M.5 (Group of the Electronic
Music Studio), de l'Universite McGill
de Montreal, nous propose son
deuxieme titre, «Before the Freeze»,
qui contient des oeuvres creees pour
la plupart a- l'aide des ressources du
studio de musique electronique de
l'Universi.te McGill et dont certaines
ont ete enregistrees au Studio Luscar
du Banff Center, qui a aussi collabore
ala production. Ce disque utilise
aussi des techniques de prise de son
mises au point par les chercheurs de
la faculte de musique de McGill, qui
portent la mention Natural Surround
Sound.
Deux pieces sur ce disque sont
instrumentales. «Clocks of the
World» (989) de Brent Lee pour
guitare, piano et harpe, est inspiree
d'une phrase tiree d'une piece de
Heiner Muller. Cette piece reflete les
idees du compositeur sur Ie theme
du temps, dans la musique et dans la
vie en general. La deuxieme piece,
«King of Denmark» (965), de
Morton Feldman, est une pie~e pour
percussions solo ou l'instrumentiste
frappe toutes les percussions avec ses
mains et ou les dynamiques ne
depassent jamais Ie «piano». J'avoue
avoir ete surpris de trouver une telle
piece dans un recueil d'oeuvres
electroniques.
La piece de John Oliver «Before
the Freeze» (988), qui donne son
titre au disque, est pour bande,
clarinette, saxophone alto et
trompette et peut rappeler ~ertaines
oeuvres de Ligeti (Lontano). La
bande tisse une trame qui agit
comme coussin harmonique,
evoluant de la consonnance vers la
dissonance, et sur laquelle les
instruments repetent un motif de
trois notes.«PRAESCIO-I» (987), de
Bruce Pennycook, est la premiere
d'une serie de pieces interactives
pour instrumentiste et
environnement electronique contrelle
par ordinateur. Cette version
comprend une partie
d'accompagnement sur bande, en
plus de l'information provenant du
saxophone qui est traitee en temps
reel. La piece contient quatre sections
contrastantes et melange habilement
improvisation instrumentale et
orchestration syntMtique generee en
temps reel.
Les deux autres pieces sont pour
bande et percussion. «Minuit
Cache» (1985), de Laurie
Radford, est certainernent la piece
voir GEMS p.45
comph~s relultts
4V·r----------------------------::....-----
~..~~ revi t!t!';$
GEMS
• Before the Freeze
(Group of the Electronic Music Studio)
McGill Records 1991 CD 750038-2
Frediric Roverselli
Even in these hard times,
electroacoustic records keep on
cOming out. G.E.M.S. (Group of the
Electronic Music Studio), of McGill
University in Montreal, has released
its second recording entitled "Before
the Freeze", that includes works
created for the most part with the
resources of the McGill University
Electronic Music Studios, with some
that were recorded at the Luscar
Recording Studio, Banff Centre, that
collaborated on the production of
7..his record. The record also uses
(~ecial microphone techniques
developed by researchers at McGill's
Faculty of Music, resulting in
Natural Surround Sound reproduction.
Two works on the record are
instrumental only. "Clocks of the
World" (1989), by composer Brent
Lee, is for guitar, piano and harp.
Inspired by a phrase from a Heiner
Muller play, this piece reflects the
composer's ideas on time, in music
and in general. The other
instrumental piece, "King of
Denmark" (1965) from the late
composer Morton Feldman, is for
.solo hand-struck percussion in which
dynamic markings never exceed
"piano". I must say I was a little
surprised to find such a piece on a
recording of electronic works.
The title of the record comes from a
work by composer John Oliver
"Before the Freeze" (1988). This
work for tape, clarinet, alto
saxophone and trumpet is somewhat
reminiscent of certain works of Ligeti
(Lontano). The tape uses wave-like
patterns evolving from a consonant
23
to a dissonant environment, the
instruments playing with a threenote
motive. "PRAESCIO-I" from
composer Bruce Pennycook is the
first of a series of interactive works
for instrument and computercontrolled·electronics.
This version
includes an accompanying tape part
plus data from the saxophone,
processed in real-time. The piece
contains four contrasting sections
skillfully blending instrumental
improvisation and real-time
synthetic orchestration.
The two other pieces are for tape and
percussion. "Minuit Cache", (1985)
by Laurie Radford, includes the
most "musique-concrete"-like tape
part which is cleverly blended with a
textural instrumental score. The two
instrumental protagonists carry us
through an inner search alternating
between isolation and
communicative
see GEMS p.45