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Snow and Wood All ten compositions on this CD were originally composed for my first pre-midi computer music system. They were later transcribed for my first midi computer music system, and these are the versions heard on this recording. The title Snow and Wood (acoustic guitars and percussion) comes from the terrain of Central Park behind the Metropolitan Museum of Art during Winter. The piece opens with a bass voice ostinato, followed by an alternating percussion ostinato, and then a third ostinatl of arpeggiated major and minor thirds. This leads to the entrance of a through-composed melodic voice. White Puppy (synthesizer) takes its name from the same painting by Renoir that later inspired Sea of France. It may be described as being simultaneously plaintive, meditative and Eastern. Smokestack (electric oboes and percussion) is named for the giant Con Edison smokestacks I viewed from my tenth floor apartment looking East from First Avenue and 65th Street in Manhattan. I actually found some aesthetic enjoyment from them because they reminded me of DeChirico's paintings. Like a piece from the previous year named Welsh Witch, Smokestack begins with simple triads, and gradually develops into an abstract contrapuntal construction. There are eleven distinct sections in this piece. A Demon's Leisure (electric oboes and percussion) moves at a furious pace, from the opening percussion, to the frantic bass voice ostinato, to the spinning arabesques of the main melodic voice. The title comes from an early narrative poem by Yeats. Velvet Air (piano and electric bass) describes the way I felt when I stepped off the plane in Maui for this first time. This is actually the third piece I composed for my first computer music system. Red Licorice (synthesizer and percussion) is a humorous play on rhythmic and melodic figures inspired by early rock and roll. Saffron Blaze (piano and percussion), another title taken from the poetry of Yeats, is one of my earliest pieces for this medium. It features an unusual combination of chordal, bass, melody and percussion voices. Razor Moonlight (marimbas, piano and percussion) is composed of driving, multiple ostinatos, with a spare through-composed melodic voice. Winter Fantasy (electric guitars and percussion) is one of the last pieces written for my pre-midi system. It is also perhaps the most cathartic piece I ever wrote. Named and based upon a recording by the legendary guitarist from Texas this work pulsates with an extreme chromatic/contrapuntal crunch. Painted Leather (electric piano and percussion) was named for clothing worn by an African-American woman I worked with briefly in Manhattan. It is based upon a musical form used frequently during this period, largely inspired by John Coltrane. - Michael Robinson, Lahaina, December 2000 © 2000 by Michael Robinson All rights reserved |