brilliant writing, fascinating lines and interactions

Resound for ensemble, voices and electronics
Composed by Sonja Mutić
Performed by National Sawdust ensemble and Constellation Chor
Filmed at National Sawdust as a part of the Hildegard competition commission concert
released on March 11, 2021.

National Sawdust Ensemble:
Stephen Gosling piano
Miranda Cuckson violin
Jeffrey Zeigler cello
Sae Hashimoto percussion
Oran Etkin bass clarinet

Constellation Chor:
Maya Carney soprano
Sarah Beth Pfeifer alto
Heath Saunders tenor
Raphael Sacks baritone

Sound design and recording:
Charles Hagaman
Garth McAleavey

Resound for ensemble, voices and electronics

If you could see inside my mind what is it you'd hope to find?...

And Joseph said Daad, 
I’ve got your sanity right here in my pencil case

There’s more to the eye             
Than meets the brain

I’ve said it before 
I’ll say it again

She was walking the streets
In the cool autumn air
The thoughts in her brain
Seemed to shine in her hair

Just like an add 
on YouTube TV

The spark in her eye                     
Sayin don’t skip me

You could buy it
Or Lease it
With low APR 
And Nothing to finance                 
               Not even a caaarr
                                             
 oh          ohhhhh   oh  
 ah bah bah         ahhhhh

   And No! this was real 
   her thoughts just flowed out 
   Like Miranda or Shakespeare
   On-a-wing-and-a poout
   
   I stood there and gaped
   My mouth hanging down
   The drool and the sweat
   
   A dumb founded clown

   How could her thoughts
   Be visible to me?
   Each clear & distinct
                               
   Like one, two, threeeeeee

 ahhhh hahhhh ha
 bahhh bah ba 

All these words Of hand written lice
They crawl up the walls 
And hit you just twice

The meaning    
The sounds

Are not what they seem
The concepts the pronouns

I whip them like cream

If I could see hers Could she see mine?
How would this play?
                            
What’s my next liine?

HOh ohhhhh hohhhhh 
ahh bah bahhhhhhhh

ahhhhh ahhh ahhhhhhhhhhhh

If she     
could read my mind

What
do you think she’d find?

Blue Skies 
or Acid Rain?
Smoke      
from a passing train?

Compassion 
in purple hue?                                              
A house         
with an ocean view?

oh huh hoohhhh
ah bahhhh bah
oh ohhhh hooohhh
        
A chair with a chicken leg?
                                                            
A thong         
or a hard boiled egg?

If you 
could see inside my mind
      
What is it     
you’d hope to find?
      
A faster      
than lightspeed car?
                                  
Cold fusion
inside a jar?

World peace 
and butterfly stew?                                           
Nice flowers and Jesus too?
Soft Linens and Battle cries?                                        
Greasy hair 
and curly fries?
Brass door knob, 
a poor beached whale?

hard copies 
of last year’s mail?

ohh ...

There’s more to the eye 
Than meets the brain

I’ve said it before 
I’ll say it again

Fizzledizzle 
Didgeridoo!

In Mind

for soprano, 4 amplified dictaphones, and mixed ensemble

Performed by Nina Guo and Ensemble Modern
text by Alexandra Kleeman
Conducted by Sara Caneva
Recorded by Felix Dreher, mixed by Katherine Balch

waste knot

Crystalized Neuropolis

For  :   Extended  Piano , Electronics , Percussion ,  Cello

Inspired  by  Samuel  Beckett  last  play  :  WHAT   WHERE


DROR  ELIMELECH  --  EXTENDED  PIANO , ELECTRONICS
YOAV  JACOBY    --     PERCUSSION
ULRICH  LANGENBACH   --   CELLO

WHAT  WHERE

I'm not here

This piece is based on the following:  I have long wondered at the percentage of "ambient" sound we suppress: infrastructure noises; highway traffic; fog horns; etc. etc.  That leads me to ponder the cost, if any, of utilizing a portion of our "energy" to continually suppress such sounds.   Finally, that in liberating and "redeeming" said disregarded, suppressed sounds, one can experience beauty and musicality.  This piece was made by my carrying a handheld digital recorder and perambulating a wide swath of my home neighborhood.   Moving through inhabited, to graveyard district industrial, to waterfront, underpass, basketball (that's the ghost of John Cage shooting hoops).  The buildings hum and the birds sing counterpoint.  I have managed, thus far, to suppress an overwhelming urge to start caressing, folding, manipulating, pounding these sounds into something else.  As they stand, however, many of them would be worthy of any electronic ambient composition and I wanted to present them in their natural glory.  Hence, while doing a minimal amount of trimming, snipping and constructing a coherence to the piece, I stayed away from reverb, looping, delay, compressor etc. etc.

A couple of things:  Some of the sounds are church services that I passed by.  I don't know the churches or the singers but I found them to be exceedingly beautiful and of great meaning to me.  It is with profound respect that I offer my thanks.  Similarly, I don't know who took the picture...it looked cool and appropriate, however.  Thank you!  

Hope you enjoy!!

Church of Disregard (How Sweet the Strawberry Mix)

We've All Done Things

Color 29 | March 10.2023

As part of the "analog reflections" series, only analog modules/sound generators are used. There was no digital post-processing.

ar_07_benjolin_TPR_resEQ

Three tales of. 3 mvt.
Soliste, Youmi Kim (soprano)
Orchestre des lauréats du Conservatoire
Guillaume Bourgogne, direction

Three tales of. 3 mvt

composer living in the woods // interested in tiny sounds, leaves, stacks of thirds, and music that jitters // Asst. Prof. of Composition, Yale School of Music

waste knot

Katherine Balch

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