This three part clarinet solo draws it's inspiration from the street drug named Methylaminorex. Methylaminorex is a powerful and dangerously harmful stimulant. When abused, it not only destroys the physical body, but it erodes mental health as well. The individual movements in the piece act as "observations" of imagined psychological states that might be induced by this molecules abuse in the human body: dementia, paranoia, delusion. 

The subtitles also serve as a reference to King Crimson's first album "In the Court of the Crimson King". In the linear notes, the album is presented as "An Observation by King Crimson". Their music from the late '60s and early to mid '70s has always been a major influence on my music. And this piece is no exception.

Performed by Tony Park.
Recorded in a tiny apartment bedroom, inside an even tinier mattress fort by Zachary Scholes and Mario Lombardi

Methylaminorex - Third Observation for solo soprano clarinet

Methylaminorex - Second Observation for solo bass clarinet

Methylaminorex - First Observation for solo bass clarinet

This piece was composed using recordings of sounds produced by a single sheet of metal. The inspiration for the piece came from recordings made by the Voyager 2 space probe. On its journey through our solar system, the Voyager 2 recorded the electromagnetic activity generated by the planets' magnetic poles. NASA then converted these recordings into audible sound. When I first heard these recordings I was amazed and inspired beyond belief. Realizing that such beautiful music is constantly being created by the magnetic field of a planet was a truly mind-blowing revelation. I then set out to imitate and pay tribute to my favorite excerpt from these recordings: the sounds produced by Jupiter's magnetic field.

Follow the link to hear a fragment of Voyager 2's incredible recording of Jupiter's electromagnetic frequencies:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3fqE01YYWs


Jupiter's Magnetic Field

'The Next Wave is on Impulse' was composed using samples taken from some of my favorite jazz records. The title is both a tribute to the jazz record label ‘Impulse Records’, whose slogan was "The New Wave of Jazz is on IMPULSE!", as well as a representation of my strong belief that improvisation is one of the most important tools a musician can have to create music. The majority of my music relies heavily on improvisation during the compositional process. This piece marked the moment when I learned the importance of embracing improvisation, letting my impulsive visceral expressions guide me and harnessing their power once they drop their guard.

The Next Wave Is On Impulse

Piano: Alexandra Fol
Percussion: Colin Frank
Audio Engineer: Gintas Norvila

Composed in 2013.

Dedicated to Galaxy 3C 241.

Eroded Obelisk for piano and percussion

Mario Lombardi is a composer and musician based in Montreal, QC, Canada. Presently studying classical composition at McGill University, Mario composes acoustic and electronic art music, as well as jazz, rock, video game soundtracks, and electronica (under the pseudonym Cepheid Flux). Mario is also a member of Montreal avant-garde/surf rock band, The Artsy Chicks, for which he plays electric bass and tenor saxophone, as well as contributing to the composition. This page will provide a selection of Mario's acoustic and electronic art music.

 Follow this link to access Mario's electronica project 'Cepheid Flux': soundcloud.com/cepheidflux

Mario Lombardi

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