02/Feb
Named after dates on which the events occur in the narrative, the first piece in the performance depicts the heroine '218' entering the unfamiliar environment of an early 20th century insane asylum, diagnosed with 'dementia praecox,'
The piece begins with a whispering choir set against a tape music part created by walking on a large sheet of broken glass mic'ed extremely close to the sound source in an 'AB' configuration with the microphones spaced approximately one meter apart. Small sibilances in this sound were selected and rapidly repeated to create glitch like effects. The glass sound was then compressed and run through a lush reverb emphasizing the low sounds in the noise source to create sounds inspired by the cracking of icebergs. The tape music part also features found brass objects such as goblets and candle holders being struck with mallets and treated by reversing the sound and removing the attack of the note. A loop buffer of 10 seconds is set up and small snippets of the (non pitch specific) electric guitar part are taken to create a wall of ambiguous notes. The piano part is quite simple and features harmonies and chord shapes found all throughout the opera. The guitar amp is directed at the back of the room to create a more ethereal tone (like the effect of a backward facing french horn bell.) A climactic section features interplay between the lead vocal part and the guitar part. The vocalists lyrics are derived from a late 19th century medical chart regarding a patient with dementia praecox. This part utilizes the nature of the scrolling score to obscure text when a page is read right to left, reflecting the idea of the 'split/broken mind' which is how doctors thought of dementia praecox at that time. This symbolism is reflected in the staging by a broken mirror on stage which is utilized as a prop to hide a microphone used for electronic processing of the voice in later pieces. In the closing section of the piece, we return to a slow piano feature which utilizes a delay to fill the space and help blend the electronic and acoustic sounds. |
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08/Feb
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The second piece in this opera deals with the main character, '218' exploring coping mechanisms to deal with her dehumanizing and lonely environment. She begins to see other patients as conscious beings who have adapted to the environment and have learned to deal with their situation.
The piece begins with a duet between double bass and marimba. Subtle pitch shifting dominates the texture of the piece aiming to create a very unstable sound. Subtle textural shifts in the instruments (sul pont in the bass and rattling mallets on the marimba) are used to enhance the textural nature of the work. Extremely short instances of low sine waves are triggered by the percussionist to create a bass drum like effect. The length of the sine wave played is less than 1 cycle which creates a pleasing 'click' in the speakers. The second section focuses on high and thin sounds as the basses play below the bridge and the percussionist moves to metal objects and extremely high sine waves. In the next section as the choir enters, special attention is payed to the mouth position of the singers. Beginning with pursed lips on a B, the stave soon disappears as the choir moves apart and the pitches become irrelevant. A climactic section as the violins enter triggers the percussion to utilize downward modulating feedback looping to warp the sound of their performance. The scrolling score allows an exciting interplay between the four glissando string parts which are a feature of this section. The piece finishes with a similar section to the beginning giving the piece an 'ABACA' form. |
27/Feb
The third piece in the opera features semi traditional notation as '218' converses with her super ego while looking into a broken mirror. The super ego is what regulates what is socially acceptable behavior in humans. '218's' conversation with an embodiment of her super ego concerns embracing escapism and her imagination.
The text is written to reflect a wavering voice and depict the inflection that should be used. Behind the mirror, a microphone picks up '218's' voice and processes it by reversing small sections of it and adding a delay. The piano chord shapes are related to those of the first piece and unlike previous pieces that I have scored in this style, the pacing has been left to the performers discretion to create a more organic feel. The performers are simply instructed to play slowly and with a sense of space. The super ego entries are tape music parts created by recording my own voice, EQ'ing, compressing, modulating, doubling and overlaying it over more similarly treated vocal tracks.
The string entries are double stopped to create a 'forced' tone and the pacing of the changes is not clearly specified. While the players are instructed to stry and play together, this ambiguity leads to an appealing blurring of the part. The choral and string parts both feature accidentals which are only very slightly sharp (in the realm of 3 cents) not to make the music sound out of tune, simply to colour the music pallete and give the sense of playing in a different temperament.
The conclusion of this piece asks instrumental performers to improvise single notes from tone sets to create a wall of sound utilizing the selected tones (similar to the way the looper is utilized on the guitar in piece 1.) The piece concludes as the performers trail off at their own discretion.
This piece is printed on large paper to that the choir can reference it without needing to bury their face in the score. By scattering newspaper on the floor the choir can be spread out and facing different directions seeming more like asylum patients and less like an attentive, front facing choir.
27/Feb B
The Fourth piece chronologically occurs simultaneously to the previous piece. During this piece, we are offered the perspective of an unsympathetic outsider. The lines of 218 are delivered in the exact same manner though there is no processing on them. Similarly, we do not hear the entries of the super ego. The double stopped string parts and choral parts have been removed and replaced with the dry stable sound of the piano. In lieu of the super ego entries, we are offered percussive interjections consisting of heavy clunky tom rolls.
Mirroring the previous piece in structure, the harmonies have been adjusted to reflect this different viewpoint. As in Britten's 'Turning of the Screw,' dissonance between 218 and the re-harmonized part reflect an analogous viewpoint. Where in the previous piece the super ego acted as a calm contribution to the piece, here the absence of the super ego is treated aggressively as the outsider views this embrace as a problem. During this aggression all harmony is forgotten as the piano adopts a notation system similar to the choir in the second piece of the opera.
Mirroring the previous piece in structure, the harmonies have been adjusted to reflect this different viewpoint. As in Britten's 'Turning of the Screw,' dissonance between 218 and the re-harmonized part reflect an analogous viewpoint. Where in the previous piece the super ego acted as a calm contribution to the piece, here the absence of the super ego is treated aggressively as the outsider views this embrace as a problem. During this aggression all harmony is forgotten as the piano adopts a notation system similar to the choir in the second piece of the opera.
01/Mar
The final piece occurs when '218' decides to embrace her escapism. This piece begins with a B dorian line in the vocals which changes between 9/8 and 4/4. This changing time signature is employed because this vocal line is looped and the following bars are not to be played in synchrony with this loop. The changing time sign helps to disassociate the loop with the following bars which are all in 4/4 so that performers who are playing and altered version of the original vocal melody in canon with each other do not try to follow the time set by the loop.
At Bar 6, the canon begins with violins 1 and 2 which play in mensuration. The double bass and piano both carry the melody together though the piano has a double time and retrograded version of the melody in the left hand.
The main vocal line begins singing long notes over top of this and small snippets of this are added to the loop.
Bar 24 heralds the beginning of a soloistic piano passage with small violin interjections. Slightly more complex rhythms are used to break the strong sense of pulse established by the canon and small whole tone passages (bar 44) are introduced to complicate the mood of the piece.
The piano delicately re-introduces the main them at bar 47 before it is joined strongly by the rest of the ensemble. This second occurrence of the canon is varied with a small delicate variation on the material at bar 64. This only lasts for four bars when the canon returns at full volume.
One by one, the players finish their canon parts and begin improvising on an improvised tone set while the original vocal loop gains dominance in the mix.
Finally, the loop fades and the piano gently re-states it's whole tone passage leaving the performance at a somewhat ambiguous and uncertain end.
At Bar 6, the canon begins with violins 1 and 2 which play in mensuration. The double bass and piano both carry the melody together though the piano has a double time and retrograded version of the melody in the left hand.
The main vocal line begins singing long notes over top of this and small snippets of this are added to the loop.
Bar 24 heralds the beginning of a soloistic piano passage with small violin interjections. Slightly more complex rhythms are used to break the strong sense of pulse established by the canon and small whole tone passages (bar 44) are introduced to complicate the mood of the piece.
The piano delicately re-introduces the main them at bar 47 before it is joined strongly by the rest of the ensemble. This second occurrence of the canon is varied with a small delicate variation on the material at bar 64. This only lasts for four bars when the canon returns at full volume.
One by one, the players finish their canon parts and begin improvising on an improvised tone set while the original vocal loop gains dominance in the mix.
Finally, the loop fades and the piano gently re-states it's whole tone passage leaving the performance at a somewhat ambiguous and uncertain end.