improvisation

Rules of Engagement (2013-2019)

New Music 5

Wieland Hoban

Contemporary Insights Ensemble, conducted by Zach Seely
Festival des Zentrums für Gegenwartsmusik, Leipzig, 16 June 2022

Rules of Engagement (2013-2019)
This cycle of three works focuses on Israel’s war on the Gaza Strip in the winter of 2008/9, commonly referred to as Operation Cast Lead. 

1. Hora’ot Pticha Be’esh (2013)
Fixed media
2. Al-Shifa (2014)
String quartet and fixed media
3. Sumud (2019)
Ensemble

The title of the third piece, Sumud, refers to the principle of steadfastness that has come to play a special part in the Palestinian ethos of resistance, be it overt political or military resistance or simply the everyday resistance of going about one’s life despite the suffering inflicted by the occupation. This piece uses a large ensemble and loosely takes up some of the pre-recorded sounds from the first piece, adapting them to a live setting. As in the second piece, these are references to certain sound worlds rather than actual quotations; a microtonally-tuned guitar mirrors the pre-recorded oud sounds, while the accumulation of percussion sounds and reed textures are taken up and given a new physical presence in the live situation. The principle of sumud manifests itself in the music’s insistence and ultimate distillation of expressive focus from conflict and unease.

The overall direction of the cycle, then, is away from concrete documentation and towards musical sublimation, towards something that is separate from the horrors of Cast Lead despite issuing from them. When I first arrived at this conception, I was slightly disturbed by what could be perceived as a de-politicisation, as a disappearance of the real world in the aesthetic. In the meantime, however, I have reached the position that despite the powerlessness of such music to counteract the ongoing ordeals of Palestinians, it is more meaningful – as long as one operates in the realm of art rather than direct activism – to attempt a transcendence of horror towards something that offers a trace of autonomy. In this respect, it is important that the cycle begins with Hebrew and ends with an Arabic title; although the soldier’s testimony is vital evidence, the voice of the occupier should not be granted the last word, and despite the victimisation of Palestinians in Gaza and elsewhere, they must not be reduced to mere victims. That is the ultimate message of the cycle.

https://wielandhoban.wordpress.com/2020/03/06/the-rules-of-engagement-cycle/

Sumud (Rules of Engagement III) (2019, large ensemble)

Part I of the trilogy Rules of Engagement, focused on Israel’s war on the Gaza Strip from 27 December 2008 to 18 January 18 2009, commonly referred to as Operation Cast Lead, which resulted in c. 1,000 civilian deaths and immense structural damage. 
The narration is the account of a soldier who took part in the operation, and was thus able to refute the myth that care was taken to protect civilian lives. The video from which it is taken, made by the Israeli organisation Breaking the Silence, can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDZmRqx4cpQ. The English translation is spoken by the composer. Parts II and III of the cycle are for string quartet and fixed media (Al-Shifa)and for 17 instruments (Sumud) respectively.
The title is Hebrew for 'Rules of Engagement'.
With thanks to Yehuda Shaul.

Hora'ot Pticha Be'esh (Rules of Engagement I) (2013-14, Fixed media)

FRAGILE II for clarinet in B  doubling clarinet in Es, soloist Emil Visenescu, conductor Gheorghe Costin, National Radio Orchestra, 
recording from the concert , 27.05.2016

FRAGILE 2 for clarinet and orchestra (2015)

performed by Marin Cazacu and Violoncelissimo ensemble, conductor Dorel Pascu

The Eternal Return (2000) for 8 celli

Kairos Quartett

Wolfgang Bender & Stefan Häussler, violins
Simone Heilgendorff, viola
Claudius von Wrochem, cello

Unerhörte Musik, Berlin, 20 February 2018

Named after Al-Shifa Hospital, Gaza City, where the Norwegian doctors Mads Gilbert and Erik Fosse worked during Operation Cast Lead; they described their experiences in the book Eyes In Gaza (London: Quartet, 2010).

Al - Shifa (Rules Of Engagement II) (2014, string quartet and fixed media)

Doina Rotaru - "Legend III" (2018) for oboe, clarinet, violin, cello and piano
SonoMania Ensemble: Valentin Ghita (ob), Mihai Pintenaru (cl), Raluca Stratulat (vn), Eugen-Bogdan Popa (cello), Mihai Murariu (pno)
Live concert recording from the world premiere, 3Sound Festival, Bucharest, Sutu Palace, 22.09.18

Legend III - SonoMania

Doina Rotaru: VIVARTA for string quartet (2009)
ARCADIA Quartet - Ana Török (vn), Răsvan Dumitru (vn), Traian Boală (vla), Zsolt Török (cello)
Live recording from the "George Enescu" International Festival, September 2017

Vivarta - Arcadia Quartet

Written for and performed by OFF (the French Flute Orchestra)- conductor Pierre Alain Biget.The work is written for  24 flutes (10 fl in C, 6 alto fl, 6 bass fl, 2 dble bass fl)and  and pre-recorded sounds. 5 different Stained Glass windows inspired by a Catholic Cathedral , Byzantine music and shakuhachi Buddist monks music. World premiere in Paris, Moliere Theater, 20.01.2004

5 VITRALII/ 5 Stained Glass Windows ( 2003) for 24 flutes and electronics

Treesearch 
Know More Knowledge 
Release date: February 28th, 2020
5836

CD / DL
577 Records
www.577records.com

Treesearch 'Know More Knowledge' (577 RECS)

Treesearch 'XOR' from album Know More Knowledge  (577 RECS)

This track is from a rainy night in January 2019 and is the first musical encounter of the current incarnation of the Shunyata Improvisation Group. This I think sums up what we are about; the rise and fall of musical and textural intervention within slow free improvisation. I recorded it on my H2N zoom in my home which effected the quality. Thanks to Jamie Cook (HOWZAT TV) for mastering after the event, which has helped to bring forward the musical interventions. I would recommend you play through speakers in subdued lighting or candlelight for maximum effect. I hope you enjoy the piece.
The members of the Shunyata Improvisation Group are:
Katie Oswell- vocals, Zither, small objects. 
Tobias Illingworth- vocals, piano, percussion, stringed instruments, everyday objects, room manipulation 
NofC – vocals, melodeon and percussion. 
trubba not – acoustic guitar

https://shunyataimprovisationgroup.weebly.com/

Photography of Jerry Serjeant used with kind permission. Jerry’s photos are at https://www.flickr.com/photos/jerryms/

One Meeting, One Time by The Shunyata Improvisation Group

Ocelot – the new Brooklyn-based trio featuring Cat Toren, Yuma Uesaka, and Colin Hinton – presents its irresistibly vivid debut album, via 577 Records.

At a contemplative time for the world, the new Brooklyn-based trio Ocelot makes its debut on record with an album that emphasizes melody and atmosphere, whether the music is meditative or more volatile. This group – featuring award-winning pianist Cat Toren, saxophonist/clarinetist Yuma Uesaka and drummer/percussionist Colin Hinton.

Ocelot represents the culmination of a year’s worth of composing, rehearsing, touring and local gigging for the band – including an October 2019 residency in New Haven, Connecticut, and a tour of the East Coast and Canada that deepened the trio’s chemistry and its approach to the material recorded later that month. Remarkably, Toren was pregnant with her daughter during the entire process, a challenge made easier by the keenly supportive relationships in the band. “We’re three friends who trust each other, converse easily and have tremendous respect one another,” Toren explains. “Our relationships are the foundation for our interactive discourse, which can vary – we’ve performed concerts that were musically very patient, and we’ve played gigs at bars that were real bangers.”

Artist: Yuma Uesaka, Cat Toren, Colin Hinton
Album title: Ocelot
Label: 577 Records
File Under: Experimental / Contemporary Jazz
Release Date: 3/26/21
Cat#: 5859
Format: CD (first edition)
Barcode: 755491189177
CD-577R-5859

577 Records is an independent record label based in Brooklyn, New York operating since 2001

577 Records
Brooklyn, New York
www.577records.com
©+℗ 2021

Yuma Uesaka, Cat Toren, Colin Hinton: 'Crocus' from album 'Ocelot' out March 26 via 577 Records

Danse Sacrale

Improvisation

Clémence Baillot d'Estivaux - cello
Clément Merienne - prepared piano & harmonium
Pierre-Antoine Despatures - doublebass

Mylène Grau - recording & mixing
Luc Montaudon - mastering

Pauline Beck - graphic design

2020