Because there's something childishly inappropriate about giving a bunch of Wandelweiser (and related...) recordings a cursory listen and assigning them a grade out of five, here are some grades out of five for a bunch of Wandelweiser (and related) recordings that I've given a cursory listen to.
The new 8 hour box 'Wandelweiser und so weiter' has just been released on Another Timbre, and while any sort of weighty judgement on the set is going to have to wait, I wanted to put a few initial impressions down. And these really are initial impressions- most tracks here (aside from a few I was instantly taken with and wanted to replay before moving on to anything else) have just had a solitary listen. And I've spent very little time with the booklet so I couldn't begin to tell you who is playing on most of the tracks, let alone the sources for Manfred Werder's creative soarings this time around.
But these initial impressions are generally very positive- the biggest fear I had going in to this was the set could easily dissolve into vaitaions on a theme- hesitant notes and tones, extended silences, repetitions with only microtonal differences each time around: all the trademark, stereotypical Wandelweiser stuff (which, of course, is usually bang on the money). An absence of grit in the proceedings. Fortunately, this is not the case- there are some group improvisations thrown in to the mix which provide all the grit you'll need, and nourish the palate ready for the next round of quiet distractions.
The first three discs then, and this is essentially a reference for myself- an aide-mémoire of early impressions.
Sfirri- Natural at last #1. Very beautiful. There's definitely a foreground and a background here- sparse sensual pluckings to the fore, hissings and cracklings behind. They come and go but there is always something there to grip onto. The tingling of the skin, the functioning of the body. ####
Beuger- Lieux de Passage. Very beautiful. (This could get repetitive). But, really, very beautiful. More satisfying than anything else I've heard by him. Gripping, serene. #####
Werder- 2011(4). A fairly empty ten minut field recording which could well be more engaging elsewhere- this is where having the music in a compilation of handy bite-sized 'chunks' probably does it an injustice. This isn't uninteresting, but to be honest I wanted to hear the Beuger again. ##
Sfirri- Natural at last #2. Soft drones and breathing noises, all of a piece, all of a level. Pleasant.###
Saunders- Various distinct spatial or temporal locations. A whisper of a piece- perhaps a brief indulgence, but actually very attractive listening. ###
Malfatti- Heikou. Cells and waves. The instruments come in, announce themselves, retreat. Pause. Return. ###
Sfirri- The Undulating Land- held tones interspersed with a plucked string and- what- a gong? I could always check I guess. It works really well though. This little taster of variety is refreshing. ####
Cage- Three2. And instantly this seems like a barrage of raucous noise after everything that has gone before! Interesting noise though and more interesting the longer it goes on, especially the frenetic conclusion. ###
'Etchings'. The to and fro-ing between the two tones I find raher annoying, especially as what is going on around these tones isn't. Is this an improvsaion? The booklet isn't far away... The to and fro-ing ends and the soundworld becomes immeasurably richer. And then I lose interest again. This is by far the piece I have liked the least so far, and I'm not sure why. ##
Durrant- Sowari. Squeakings and rumblings. Curious how the little word 'ensemble' colours your perceptions. Pretty conclusion. ###
Pisaro- fields have ears 3b. Despite the field recording and the assisted scratchings and whistlings, everything here is grounded in the piano. I love the sudden stop after eleven minutes which really makes the sounds you have been listening to resonate. Big rather cheesy bass note halfway through. Brief burst of choral music. ###
Beuger- 't aus 'etwas. Quite seductive- very sparse, repetitive vocal sounds, clicking and pushing out air. ###
Thut- Vier,1-10. Cells of orchestral sound punctuated by silences. The sounds are frequently dramatic, romantic even, and the silences quite jarring. One to hear again. ####
Brogan- Ensemble. This sounds like a sparse and nondescript field recording, a windy one at that, with selected instrumentation introduced during the process- reeds, electronics. This is grittier and all the better for it. #####
Saunders- With the same material.With Saunders you are forever in fundamentally the same territory- his pieces are more easily identifiable I think than anyone else in this set- but it is interesting territory, and I'm sure this will repay further listening. ####
Werder- 2 ausfuhrende. Not even sure what the instrumentation is, but this is some kind of mating call repeated periodically over half an hour. The sound itself is by no means interesting enough to stand up to that kind of scrutiny. Is this the music for our modern, interest-filled lives, I ask you... Honsetly, on a first listen, I hated this. #
---
And that's halfway through the box. More indepth analysis of a similar stature to come.
No comments:
Post a Comment