Crumb! I never knew he was so good.
On May 21, 2010, we attended the latest performance of counter)induction. The first piece, “Ikhoor” by Xenakis, a piece for string trio, was greatly enhanced for me by a conversation I recently had with my friend Ken, a violinist. I had said that classical music does not have distortion and he described several methods by which violinists can obtain unusual sounds.
One involves turning the bow on its side, a method that Xenakis used very well in this piece. Another involves lifting the strings and letting them fall against the bridge of the violin, which produces a sound that is very different from plucking.
This was followed by Pascal Dusapin’s Trio Rombach, a piece I did not like.
All of this was a prelude to the meat of the performance.
The concert was called “child is father to the man” and the latter half of the performance consisted of a famous piece by George Crumb, “Eleven Echoes of Autumn (Echoes I)”, followed by pieces by two of his students, Douglas Boyce and Kyle Bartlett, who are founding members of counter)induction.
The performers had access to what appeared to be the original score, and it was beautiful. Crumb is famous (AFAIK) for using circular notation in his scores, and these scores were beautiful. The music was strange and interesting. Crumb’s piece was the oldest of those performed but it felt as new as the rest.
This was followed by Douglas Boyce’s “The General Schemed,” a piece in which he showcased his fondness for foreign and old cultures and musical notations. It conveyed a thoughtful and often melancholy feeling.
The final piece was Kyle Bartlett’s high energy “Present” in which, she wrote, the music splashes off the piano and onto the other instruments. It felt like a philosophical statement. It was a masterpiece that she presented with humility.