Ecstatic Volutions in a Neon Haze
Christopher Adler
About this work:
This piece is an unabashed celebration of a ubiquitous isorhythm of popular music (3+3+3+3+4) and a thinly-veiled homage to Terry Riley's In C. The homage is heralded by the piano’s high C's, and is made by the open structure of the first half of the piece, in which each player repeats small phrases an unspecified number of times. The structure is at once more rigorously controlled than that of Riley’s work, as each player has different materials and the oboe is featured as a soloist, and more open than In C as the players are afforded the freedom to return to previous phrases taken out of order. This open structure is gradually collapsed, one instrument at a time, into an aligned and fully-notated climax. This experiment in a structural coalescence is a hidden curiosity behind a sensual and groovy musical surface. This piece was commissioned and premiered by the ensemble pulsoptional in Durham, North Carolina.
Flexibility in instrumention is possible in consultation with the composer.
Year composed: 2005
Duration: 00:17:00
Ensemble type: Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice:Other Combinations, 6-9 players
Instrumentation: 1 Oboe, 1 Bassoon, 1 Percussion (General), 1 Piano, 1 Guitar (Classical/Acoustic), 1 Electric Guitar
Instrumentation notes: Variation in instrumentation is possible upon consultation with composer.