Michael Pisaro realised by Greg Stuart
A wave and waves
Signal to Noise
Michael Pisaro’s compositions force continual reexamination of sound in context and of the very nature of sound. Through extremely careful recording and stereo placement, minute details unfold and take on vast importance as each piece travels its glacially colorful path. These two discs are performed by the excellent percussionist Greg Stuart, and a more sensitive interpreter of these innovative scores is difficult to imagine. Hearing Metal’s first volume comprises three pieces for 60-inch tamtam, bowed and struck by Stuart with each detail captured on an intricately detailed recording. The two outer works, “Sleeping Muse” and “Sculpture for the Blind” explore the myriad possibilities of bowed tamtam as motion ranges from slow sustains on the former to quicker waves and undulations on the latter. Pisaro’s overriding concern seems to be the harmonies generated by the instrument, and each bow and stroke births an intricate web of crystaline sonorities. The album’s centerpiece, “The Endless Column.” Is constructed of very soft strokes which, through careful microphone placement, reveal a wealth of detail that is usually inaudible. As in his Transparent City series, Pisaro’s use of sine tones places notes and harmonies generated by the instrument in stark relief, sometimes supporting them and often clashing with them to form internal rhythms. A Wave and Waves follows a similar pattern to Hearing Metal in that the speed of events increases. Here, various natural objects (seeds, pebbles etc) are dropped in bowls and on surfaces of varied construction to create waves of varying density and arc. As with An Unrhymed Chord, the piece is in two parts with a silence midway, but bowed percussion takes the place of sine tones. The first part, “The World is an Integer,” is a study in gradual accumulation and its opposite, the wave swelling, cresting and subsiding over 35 minutes; “A Haven of Security and Unreachable” presents a series of interconnected waves. In both cases, small and large sounds blurr while each timbre, miraculously, retains its individuality. Acording to the score, the audience is to be seated amongst the performers, and great care was taken with stereo placement to ensure that effect at home. Again, what we would call musical tones contrast and blend with other timbres, highlighting and offsetting them. For me, the overall effect of Pisaro’s music is to accentuate the musicality in sounds I take for granted. After listening to his work, my attention is drawn to the infinite complexities in even the most mundane sounds. As with James Joyce, Pisaro, in collaboration with Stewart, transform every-day events into something mystical and wonderful. Both Antoine Beuger of Edition Wandelweiser and Richard Pinnell of Cathnor should be commended for making such adventurous music available to those with the inclination to listen.
The Wire
Review to appear here once I find it and type it up!
