Gaudeamus 2021

Barry Crawford - flute performances

For soprano and chamber orchestra
Composers Conference at Wellesley College, July 29, 2015
Soprano: Sharon Harms
Conductor: James Baker

Who Married Star Husbands

Dialogue 2012, for flute solo, is a companion piece to Debussy's famous Sirynx. Commissioned by the Pappoutsakis Foundation, this performance is by Barry Crawford of Ensemble Pi.

Dialogue, for flute

Sharon Harms (soprano) and Talea Ensemble (Jeffrey Means, conductor)

Text: "Unset" by Joshua Clover (used with permission)

Unset (2017) for soprano and chamber ensemble

Parastrata (2017) for 5 instruments

Fabrice Maradola, Conductor
Ensemble Paramirabo
Jeffrey Stonehouse, flute
Laurence Neill-Poirier, clarinet
Geneviève Liboiron, violin
Viviana Gosselin, cello
Daniel Áñez García, piano

Le Domaine Forget, Saint-Irénée, Charlevoix, Canada
June 2017

program notes
Parastrata is inspired by both philosophy and mathematics; in this note I will go into some technical detail. Two concepts of Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari are especially important for this work: the opposition of smooth vs. striated spaces; and the related idea of three strata, substrata-parastrata-epistrata. These concepts constitute the vertebrae of Deluezian philosophy, explaining his well-known “difference and repetition” processes, which eventually generate a “becoming” of all the epistemological meanings / beings. In Deleuzian philosophy, the real world doesn’t exist as a reflection of an ideal world (or symbolic representations of imaginary orders, in Lacan’s words), but simply exists as progressive forms of infinite variations of simulacra; true beings, or “becomings” exist in between slight variations from duplication-reproduction processes. Deleuze named the fundamental layer (stratum) of these reproduction-loops as substrata, the surface level as epistrata, and the central transmuting/mitigating interfaces of nexus as parastrata. 

"A stratum exists only in its epistrata and parastrata, so that in the final analysis these must be considered strata in their own right. The ideally continuous belt or ring of  the stratum—the Ecumenon defined by the identity of molecular materials, substantial elements, and formal relations—exists only as shattered, fragmented into epistrata and parastrata that imply concrete machines and their respective indexes, and constitute different molecules, specific substances, and irreducible forms." (A Thousand Plateaus: Capitalism and Schizophrenia.)

 Smooth space is another concept which reinforces these ideas:
"It is a space constructed by local operations involving changes in direction. These changes in direction may be due to the nature of the journey itself, as with the nomads of the archipelagoes (a case of “directed” smooth space); but it is more likely to be due to the variability of the goal or point to be attained… smooth space is directional rather than dimensional or metric. Smooth space is filled by events or haecceities, far more than by formed and perceived things. It is a space of affects, more than one of properties. …It is an intensive rather than extensive space, one of distances, not of measures and properties. Intense Spatium instead of Extensio." (Ibid.)

The fundamental compositional tool I initiated to represent this idea (or the concept which smoothly emerged while I was struggling), is an image of gradually changing harmonic / timbral colors generated by frequency modulation (FM) formula. By employing FM formula and adopting elementary number theory, I could play with harmonic space by saturating it with a thousand different sonic colors with common / differentiated virtual fundamental tones. Rather than juxtaposing indifferent harmonies with no hierarchical context, each consecutive harmony is organically intertwined, sharing a certain portion of timbral structure (or common tones in traditional music theory, either acoustically or psycho-acoustically audible). For me this harmonic progression is no different from Bach’s pedal points, or Mussorgsky’s chordal juxtapositions between different harmonies. As the music evolves, the virtual fundamental evaporates or precipitates, and the overall sonic space gradually sweeps towards a totally unpredicted direction: the passepied of "Quasi una macchina"

parastrata (2017) for 5 instruments

Score: https://issuu.com/bretbohman/docs/beacon__2017__-_sinfonietta

Beacon (2017) for sinfonietta was premiered at the Wellesley Composers Conference on July 26, 2017 under the baton of incredible James Baker. Many thanks to the amazing musicians who brought this piece to life. It was an unforgettable experience.

Miranda Cuckson - Violin I
Gabby Diaz - Violin II
Lois Martin - Viola
Joshua Gordon - Cello
Steven Beck - Piano
Peggy Pearson - Oboe
Benjamin Fingland - Clarinet
Adrian Morejon - Bassoon
Patrick Pridemore - Horn
Gareth Flowers - Trumpet
Benjamin Herrington - Trombone
Mike Truesdell and Michael Caterisano - Percussion
Greg Chudzik - Contrabass

Beacon (2017) - for sinfonietta

When I look around myself for an idea, when I feel as though I have nothing to work with, when I feel as though I am nothing, when I've been made to feel that I am nothing, I look to the strong women that surround me for inspiration. Women's stories are tales of strength, perseverance, fire, and drive. And as the tides of history churn, gaining momentum, it's no longer dangerous to declare that now it's our turn--the women's turn.

The text for this piece is: "Hush now, baby. Don't say a word. Now it's time for the women's turn."

Don't say a word (2017) // Eighth Blackbird & Annika Socolofsky

About MED:
A master piece series dedicated to find a balance between contemporary Medicine, Technology and Nature. It intends to explore the boundaries of Live code performance and it uncognitive Proportions for Ambiental Music or Meditation.


med ii  Cosmoetic

ABA Microsound study made by Crackles and LFNoise for ambiental music. It is played by a
cellist with three Ndefs on it is input.

MED II Cosmoetic (20190120)

Performed by Conference Ensemble: Barry Crawford (flute/piccolo), Benjamin Finland (bass clarinet), Adda Kridler (violin), Chris Gross (cello), Steve Beck (piano), Matthew Gold & Alex Lipowski (percussion), and James Baker (conductor).
A Commission from BMV

2019 Slosberg

Germinate (2019)

AMET aka Elsa M'bala is a sound artist. Her first EP was produced by Ole Brolin and Elsa M'bala in 2016/2017 in Berlin, Germany. With a remix by DJ PETIT SING,  produced by Berlin community Radio.

eding i ne

Anitra Jellema - stem
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MERZ 3 - Zwölf

Crooked Still is a reflection on the ongoing pandemic. The piece takes its name from the fact that things are, well, still crooked. The piece explores different phases of the pandemic from the beginning up until our current state. In the beginning the piece mimics the uncertainty and confusion felt by many in the early days of the pandemic - this feeling is shown by making use of extended techniques in the piano, as well as unclear and somewhat meandering tonal language. This is undercut by a short but hopeful section played on "just" the keys, and that moves quickly on to the last "section" of the piece - a sudden change to a rather rhythmic and driving texture. This is meant to signify humanity's resilience and drive to keep going, to find a cure, and to survive.

Unset (2017) for soprano and chamber ensemble

matthewricketts