TIMARA concert offers diversity and invention

The TIMARA program's first student concert of the semester took place this Wednesday in Warner Concert Hall. Live performance as well as taped works provided welcome variety in the concert experience. In total, four works from both newer students and seasoned veterans were presented.

The concert opened with sophomore Joshua Starmer's Trio for Violin, Cello and Computer. This tightly structured work featured two string players (Conservatory sophomore Michele Hines, violin and Double-degree senior Jordan Bach, cello) who were each amplified with microphones, and a synthesizer part which was controlled by the composer at the computer. Overall, the string writing was quite effective, making use of many of the idiomatic capabilities of the strings. Particularly moving were passages in which the synthesizer played loud bursts of noisy sound which were mimicked by the strings with arhythmic and forceful plucking. Throughout the piece, amplification of the instruments was helpful in making the relationships between the synthesizer part and the violin and cello more clear. Some of the synthesized material seemed weak in comparison to the live amplified strings. In particular the computer's capability to produce extremes of dynamic register and tempo seemed underexploited. Nevertheless, the piece represented some good writing for traditional acoustic instruments as well as fruitful explorations in the realm of interactive electronic music.

The following two pieces were quite different, both being for stereo tape, and both prominently featuring instruments of a more popular nature such as guitar and drums. Double-degree senior Alex Jones' work Riddle Lynn, the Burnout created an interesting juxtaposition of standard harmonies accompanied by drums and noisy sound masses of a more avant garde character. The work began with repetitive minimal melodies which created a rather static feeling, but this was soon disrupted as the entire pitch field was bent and shifted unpredictably. Soon the drums entered and a dense texture of more dissonant tones built over the existing repetitive structures. Eventually the piece broke into a wild guitar solo which progressed to a loud and noisy climax. A short conclusion, perhaps too short to resolve such a climax, recalled some of the opening melodies of the work. Jones's use of recorded drum tracks was effective at giving the piece a good overall groove although the tracks were less prominent in the mix than might be desired.

Bad Haircut in Five Parts by Conservatory junior Eoin Russell was a whimsical essay on the composer's experience with an inadequate haircut. The program notes explain, "My last haircut was over six and a half years ago. I have spent a lot of time since then growing my hair. I am still trying to recover from the last time I paid for a BAD HAIRCUT." The piece began with very slow drumming which eventually accelerated into a drum and bass groove. Interspersed were some comments from the composer on "the bad haircut" as well as the sounds of a cigarette lighter doing its work. Equally amusing was a duo between a grossly saxophone and old-style rotary organ which came toward the end. The piece generally had good timing and balance although it ended a bit abruptly.

The final work of the concert was entitled Symphony for Baritone Saxophone and MIDI Sequence. The composer, Conservatory first-year Kevin Neal Cron, performed on bari sax. As the longest piece of the concert, the work may have had the length befitting the title "Symphony" although much of the piece seemed more concerto-like, with long passages devoted mainly to the saxophone. The piece got off to an interesting start with powerful rumbling bass sounds and slow chromatic melodies played on the saxophone. The saxophone was connected to signal processing equipment which in the first movement added shimmering dissonances to the saxophone tone color. Another notable use of signal processing characterized the third movement producing the effect of multiple saxophones echoing a single player. The result was a compelling texture of jazz-like riffs repeated against one another. While these first three movements were quite interesting, the final movement seemed to take a step back, relying on rather dull string and electric piano sounds as well as conventional harmonies. While there was occasional rhythmic interest in this final movement, it would have been nicer to hear development of some of the ideas in earlier movements.

At a bit under an hour this concert was shorter than many other TIMARA events, yet there was certainly no lack of creative energy in the four works. Given the competition from other concerts, this was a well-attended event, good evidence that interest in TIMARA continues to thrive.