katachi (2011)
"katachi"- form; posture of the body.
A hybrid between a book of etudes and a variation set, the piece puts the ensemble through a series of focused contexts in which a given restriction produces a specific kind of acoustic fusion within the group. E.g.: a polyphony of "gestalts," each passed from one instrument to another, like a skein of yarn that continually changes color; a chorale with the entire ensemble amplitude-modulated, like a giant vibraphone with the motor on; and a single, baroquely ornamented melody, played in unison but played insecurely by all so that only 25-50% of any individual player's notes speak, making the structure of the melody itself flicker from instrument to instrument.
Written for the Wet Ink Ensemble
instrumentation: flute (Erin Lesser), tenor saxophone/bass clarinet (Alex Mincek), voice (Kate Soper), violin (Joshua Modney), percussion (Ian Antonio), piano (Eric Wubbels), live electronics (Sam Pluta)
duration: 13'
date: 2011
recording: performance history:
4.30.11- Wet Ink Ensemble, St. Peter's Church, NYC
6.10.11- Wet Ink Ensemble, Issue Project Room, Brooklyn