Program note by Jon Nelson: Guitar Conduction #1: Taut Steel was commissioned by Stefan Östersjö. The composition is a structured improvisation that explores a variety of
contemporary electric guitar techniques within an acousmatic context. The score is intended to provide a rough framework within which the guitarist
improvises in response to the fixed media. The work constitutes an acknowledgement of the influential role rock music played during the formative years
of my musical training.

Guitar Conduction #1: Taut Steel

Unlocking the Keys (2021) is a fixed media Ambisonic work that explores three dimensional sonic space. The title serves as a metaphor for searching out (i.e., “unlocking”) the potential of sounds created from recorded piano sources, which start out abstract in nature and fully reveal themselves in the middle of the piece.  While the ideal listening experience for this piece is a periphonic sound system (a three dimensional configuration of speakers such as “dome” or 8-channel “cube”), the version provided here (stereo) preserves all of the musical material, mapping it down organically to a two dimensional listening space.

Unlocking the Keys (2021, Ambisonic electroacoustic)

I have long admired the poetry of Robert Gregory, having set one of his poems for voice and fixed media and having been captivated by his work on many occasions. His poetry has provided inspiration for my own work, finding its way into not only my work titles but also into the conceptual foundation of a number of my compositions. When I heard that he had passed away, I spent some time reviewing his work and revisited a recording I had made of Bob reading several of his poems in the early 1990s when we both lived in Miami, Florida. One of the three works I had recorded, and sometimes wind from the south, provided an ideal poem for me to set in memoriam. This text-sound composition is based on Bob's inimitable voice and strives to capture some of his fanciful imagination and lively spirit.

and sometimes wind from the south

Jon Nelson

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