 | | |
| Crossings | 
 enlarge | Creators: Thomas Ridenour, Alvin Lucier, New World Consort Of Wesleyan University
Label: Lovely Music
Category: Music
List Price: $16.99
Buy New: $16.94
You Save: $0.05 (0%)
Buy New/Used from $8.95
Avg. Customer Rating:  (3 reviews)
Sales Rank: 276917
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 5 x 0.5
UPC: 745295101826
EAN: 0745295101826
ASIN: B00000IN9Q
Release Date: March 1, 1990
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
|
| Tracks:
| • | In Memoriam Jon Higgins, for clarinet in A and slow-sweep pure wave oscillator (19:00) | | • | Septet for Three Winds, Four Strings and Pure Wave Oscillator (19:28) | | • | Crossings, for small orchestra with slow-sweep pure wave oscillator (16:00) |
|
| Editorial Reviews:
Album Description
Three works for classical instruments and oscillators, including In Memoriam, Septet and Crossings for small orchestra with slow-sweep pure wave oscillator. Lucier explains the process: The three works on this compact disk explore interference phenomena between sound waves. When two or more closely tuned tones are sounded, their oscillations periodically coincide to produce audible beats of sound. The speed of the beating depends upon the distances between the pitches of the sounds. The further apart, the faster the beating; at unison, no beating occurs. Furthermore, under certain conditions, the beats may be heard to spin around the room..... That process is applied on this CD to clarinet, chamber orchestra, and orchestra. One would never expect to produce such musical results from such a simple idea, but then, that's Lucier's particular genius.
|
| Customer Reviews:
A One Of a Kind Experience July 7, 2006
It's truly difficult to accurately grade and review "music" such as this. As music, it's not particularly exciting, nor does it carry any emotional breadth, and its point and purpose also seems to have been lost. The truth is, as music, it's rather stagnant - and yet, it's the most compelling stagnant music I've ever encountered in my life.
It's stagnant because it doesn't go anywhere in particular. Each piece begins and is saturated with the 'om-sounding' drone of the pure wave oscillator while classical instruments play the pitch and key of the oscillator. It's only really during the periods when the oscillator begins spiralling into various rhythmic waves that the acoustic classical instruments can actually be detected from the overwhelming sound of the oscillator simply because while the oscialltor begins its spiral the acoustic instruments hold the same key and pitch as before.
These are three highly original works in which sound and music are manipulated giving reason to question who exactly determines what music is? As a previous reviewer mentions, the unique quality of this work is where and how you play it, based on acoustic dynamics. I find the most rewarding listening experience happens to be with a set of noise-reduction headphones. For nearly 56 minutes, your whole body becomes absorbed into the frequencies produced by the oscillator - and when you finally take the headphones off, there's any even greater experience to be had as your hearing is actually affected by the static frequencies of the oscillator.
This is not a disc for everyone, but, then again, it's an experience every music lover should have at least once.
 Powerful sound that enters inside you... May 29, 2001
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This is a truly amazing electronic work. This is sound at its purist level. This CD will sound different in every acoustical environment it is played into. In Greensboro, my bedroom had a sloped ceiling. I put this album on and went to bed--turning off the lights. The sound of this CD would whirl around the room, enter my left ear, linger inside my brain, then exit through my right ear, and vascillate back again. OK, you think perhaps I was "high", and I was. But just on Lucier's pure sonic creation. Try it!
 beats, beats, and more beats... July 30, 2000
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
This is a good album, but it certainly isn't for everyone. All three pieces on this recording exploit an interesting sonic phenomena (as described in the editorial review, so I won't repeat it here), albeit in slightly different ways. The differences between these works is so slight (save for instrumentation) that it's frequently hard to tell them apart. There is music here, but the listener is forced to find it between the waves. If you REALLY love slow-sweep pure wave oscillators and controlled acoustic 'beating,' this disk is for you. If not, be warned; this is not an easy listen, even when compared to some of Lucier's other works.
|
|
|
Powered by Associate-O-Matic
| | |