Experimental music concerts return to Columbia
Posted on: 2/9/2015; Updated on: 2/10/2015By Glenn Hare, 803-777-3685
The University of South Carolina School of Music, the Columbia Museum of Art, Conundrum Music Hall and the Friends of Congaree Swamp have joined efforts to present a series of experimental music events throughout Columbia Feb. 17-21. The three concerts and one lecture presentation will showcase the collaborative works of California-based composer Michael Pisaro and UofSC percussionist and experimental music professor Greg Stuart.
When asked to explain experimental music Stuart says, “In the broadest terms, it’s a way of making music that takes very little for granted. More specifically, it’s a tradition that started in the mid-20th century around the American composer John Cage and attempts to radically rethink the relationship between composition, performance and listening.”
Pisaro’s work is familiar to Midlands’ residents; this is his fourth visit to Columbia. This time around, compositions for trio as well as large ensemble will be showcased. “A mist is a collection of points” is a work for piano, percussion and sine tones written in three parts. The work is an outgrowth of field recordings made in Congaree National Park by Pisaro and Stuart during a previous tour of the area.
“anabasis (3)” is an hourlong composition for a 30-piece ensemble that calls for real, virtual or abstracted versions of sounds of waves, shark teeth, grass, autos, pavement, insects, the drift of particles and shadows, among various sounds. Drawing upon a diverse collection of poetic texts, the piece begins with a sound world that is very low in pitch, chaotic and noisy and gradually transforms to one that is very high in pitch, containing many pure tones, and is much quieter. The composition conveys five distinct settings: the sea, coast, city, country and desert.
“This piece is a kind of movement,” Stuart says, “that goes from one point to another, in the same way that one might go from one key area to another in the development section of a sonata. But here the motion is, along with moments of stasis and fusion, punctuated by all sorts of ruptures and discontinuities.”
Experimental music events Feb. 17-21
Feb. 17 — Concert: “A mist is a collection of points,” 8 p.m,. Columbia Museum of Art. This concert features a composition for percussion, piano and sine tones and is an outgrowth of field recordings from Congaree National Park. Performers are Greg Stuart, percussion; Philip Bush, piano; and, Michael Pisaro, sine tones. Tickets are $10 for the general public, $8 for Columbia Museum of Art members and $5 for students. For information, call 803-799-2810.
Feb. 20 — Music and Culture Colloquium Series: “Continuum Unbound: Environment, Collaboration, and Contingency in Experimental Music,” 2:30-4 p.m., School of Music, Room 210. Composer Michael Pisaro from the California Institute for the Arts and Greg Stuart from the University of South Carolina will discuss their past collaborations and the development of their newest composition “anabasis (3),” an evening-length work for 30-piece ensemble and 4-channel electronics. Free.
Feb. 20 — Concert: “anabasis (3),” 7:30 p.m., School of Music recital hall. Professor Greg Stuart and a large ensemble of South Carolina Honors College and School of Music students present Michael Pisaro's “anabasis (3),” an evening-length work for ensemble and 4-channel electronics. Drawing inspiration from a diverse collection of poetic texts, the composition presents the listener with a continually transforming world of sound — what the composer terms "discreet continuity" — with acoustic, electronic, and various hybrid sounds coalescing and evaporating. Free.
Feb. 21 — Concert: “Congaree Nomads,” 8 p.m., Conundrum Music Hall, 626 Meeting St., West Columbia. This concert combines sound and video from Congaree National Park with a large-scale instrumental score. Congaree Nomads uses 24 three-minute field recordings overlaid with percussion harmonies and video footage from the Cedar Creek River trails. The concert is sponsored by the Friends of Congaree Swamp. Free.
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