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Students Present Impressive New TIMARA Works
BY KARI WETHINGTON
Tuesday night saw Warner Concert Hall undergo a nice shift of atmosphere from the weekend�s full schedule of senior recitals and guest performers as the TIMARA department concert of student works brought in two hours of innovative electronic-based soundscapes. The 13 pieces covered a lot of ground in the ever-expanding genre of computer-based music, presenting themes as varied as nature, the mechanized world and an ode to composer Edgard Varese, �the father of electronic music.�
Many of the works were collaborative, such as first-year Doron Sadja�s �L�histoire de le Chatte et le Poney,� a piece that combined the repetitive sound of a dropping coin with more intense, syncopated rhythms. These sounds became more coherent when paired with an entrancing melody and muffled spoken-word interludes written by first-year Kayla Soyer-Stein.
The concert�s best examples of unconventional collaboration were the video and sound projects �untitled� and �Reflections in Parallel.� The former, by senior Raja Das and junior Kendra Juul, highlighted the looped sounds of running water along with a film that provided an eerie gaze at the slow-motion waving of seaweed.
Coupling strobe-light heavy film footage with exquisite strings (junior Amy Cimini on viola and senior Kivie Cahn-Lipman on cello), first-year Mario Diaz de Le�n�s �Reflections in Parallel� provided a beautiful meditation on the �distortion of time and space.�
Drama set in with pieces like senior James Roberts� stormy Ionization, which includes Jurassic Park-like sound effects (distorted thunder and radio waves). The piece was interesting but the muffled voice in the background detracted from the creative interplay of the elements. Roberts� �After Varese,� an ode to the electronic music pioneer, suddenly transposed the audience into a war drama after moments of almost whimsical, cartoonish intervals of snare drum parts.
Failing to live up to the night�s innovative musical stylings was junior Erin Hollins� two-part �Mechanisms I & II,� which started with a smooth cello and sax which was complemented by Hollins� work on the computer and random lyrical interjections like, �Your eye is an amazing mechanism.� The singing was reverential and monotone, which got at the obvious theme of mechanization.
The second part involved a trio of vibraphone, piano and violin accompanied by the mundane motions (standing, stepping, eating) carried out by three dancers. The music was heavenly, but the �dancing� and overdone monotonous feeling of the composition gave off a pretentious vibe.
Two of the night�s most intriguing compositions were the long pop-inspired piece by the quartet �Pony� and first-year Matthew Mehlan�s pulsating �a string bass.� Also pushing the limts of electronic imagination were the two intriguing, effect-heavy compositions by sophomore Severiano Martinez and sophomore Leah Corn�s ethereal �Voicemusic.�
It�s amazing to hear electronic music that goes beyond Super Nintendo sounds and isn�t just for the dance hall. This Conservatory work is truly inspiring and since it may be more accessible to the typical college student than other works, it is a section of the Conservatory in which more students should engage.

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Students Present Impressive New TIMARA Works
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