Rowe/Fuhler
Conundrom
3
Recorded in Amsterdam in December of 2003, this strong duo performance provides interesting contrasts as well as similarities when compared with the Duos for Doris session done in January of that year. In addition to the instrumentation, Fuhler is in a kind of Tilbury mode, largely keeping to acoustic piano, inside and out (with substantial use of ebow as well) and remaining in a fairly dark tonal area. It opens with an ebow/handheld fan section, a captivating dronal combination, swiftly splaying out into a denser range and becoming subtly agitated. The sense of itchy discomfort provides the initial structural aspect of the performance, one that moves over the course of its 30 minutes from that point to a more serene one. Fuhler doesn’t cast off melodic tendrils á la Tilbury but does adorn the otherwise harsh atmosphere with silvery single notes up high and pensive, rich low ones, pinning the haze to the earth. While maintaining the agitated drone character throughout, there are plenty of different textures employed and some juicy combinations thereof, including one playing strummed piano strings off a vague radio capture. On one level it’s a narrow focus but, befitting a concert in the land of van Leeuwenhoek, if you aurally shift to a higher magnification lens, much greater detail becomes apparent. As with the Doris session, it’s Rowe who’s argumentative and prodding with the pianist adopting the role or conciliator and as on that recording, the results are exceedingly fine. Eventually, the calm wins out and the pair stroll away, arm in arm. A beautiful set.
Cor Fuhler
Slee
Conundrom
4
From my fairly limited knowledge of Fuhler’s music, I take it that his approach can vary widely, from an ICP-ish kind of scalawaggery to a far more severe minimalism, from 60s tape collage influences to tinges of kitschy exotica. On this lovely recording he takes yet another tack. The main track, “Sleep”, (about 90% of the disc) is a solo piano performance with no electronic or mechanical modification that I can discern. My first impression is of a very languid, dreamy version of Paul Bley, containing a similar ruminative sense but allowing more pure sensuality into the mix than one normally associates with the older master. Fuhler stays consistently in this one area, churning the cloudy water, allowing motifs to swirl to the surface and re-submerge, always with a soft edge but with enough psychic turmoil and slightly bitter melancholy so as to easily avoid mere ambient noodling. A brief coda, “REM”, appears to subject parts of the previous track (or another piano piece?) to CD abuse, something of a rude awakening. Aside from greatly enjoying “Slee” on its own merits, I also find it encouraging that a musician nominally involved with “difficult” music feels free to investigate what might be considered a more conservative form and to do so with incisiveness and probity. It’s a wonderfully submersive disc, a fine companion to the duo with Rowe and entirely different!
Previously only available from Cor at shows, the Conundrom catalog can now be found at erstdist
Posted by Brian Olewnick on December 27, 2007 5:54 PMThanks very much Brian for taking the time to listen to these and come up with some very fitting words.
Slee and Tcod (conundromcd 5) are both results from projects/research when I have nothing to do much. They both deal with trying to discover a different angle to playing/listening, to try and add something to my usual perception. Get me out of my circle....
Slee is more about the "stressness" off notes(/events). E.g. you could play a certain note (pitchwise) on a doublebass and on a flute. On the double bass it would sound high and on the flute it would sound low, even if it's the same pitch. I think it has to do with a level of stress a note has, and humans have evolved in a way to imidiately recognize this type of stress. A high note on a trumpet is actually not that high, but we can easily recognize the effort behind it somehow, so it "sounds" high. Anyway, I tried to undo notes from stress playing on the piano, just listen to overtones and melody/harmony.
The second focus on Slee was "dreams" and time alterations. Hence the tittles: "Sleep" and "Rem": "rapid eye movement": a certain state you are in while sleeping in which your eyes move around very quickly. Slee in Dutch, by the way means sledge and Rem in Dutch means "break". "Sleep" also means drag (as in dragging something over the floor).
Tcod (ConundromCd 5) , is more about playing and having an addition in mind. Kinda like "Sight" by Mimeo, but it bit more analogous to Cy Twombly because it is made made by just one person, so the memory of what you've done is as important as what you are doing, and aiming for/adding up to one specific and focussed thing....
Also, dreams play an important role here....
I did some theatre things and whenever there was a problem, or something awkward, there was always this "excuse" of something out of a dream etc. And I got a bit sick of this, so I thought, was is dream stuff really about? It is an important, but very dormant, part of our live. So, there is this loopyness, a goal that you want but cannot achieve. Anyway, I just wanted to investigate this.
Also, the expectations people have when they here a violin, but it's a keyolin, and then they just turn away. Even (especially?) the most knowledgable people with contemporary music are shockingly conservative in this. It's something I found out since I started to play the keyolin. Tcod, kinda deals with this in a certain way.
I think Tcod is the most interesting CDr out of the Conundrom series. "Whistlelight" (2), "Rowe/Fuhler" (3) and "Slee" (4) are kind of straightforward, but Tcod (5) has more layers I think, musicaly and socially.
Cor
Posted by: Cornelis at December 28, 2007 6:16 AMIn enjoyed the last track on Tcod very much, the other two gave me trouble though, obviously, that could be more me than anything else. Thanks for the explication--I'll re-listen.
Posted by: Brian Olewnick at December 28, 2007 6:30 AMerm, that would be "I enjoyed"
Posted by: Brian Olewnick at December 28, 2007 6:32 AMthe last 2 tracks are 2 exersises in exotica: Glasso Chor ("Stolen voice" in Romanes) and "the Dream of conditions". They are bonus tracks; since they where played on the same instruments it seemed appropriate to add them.
I assume you mean the last part of Tcod, the 1-8 track piece. So track 8..Yes, there everything kinda settles and all instruments seem to play together, rather than being dubbed in.
But no worries, there is no right or wrong in whatever anyone heares in music. It's fun to communicate it though.
Cor
Posted by: Cornelis at December 28, 2007 6:46 AMhey I thought there was a CD of Cor, Lovens and Delius on conundrum, but erst don't got that...wah-wah i'm crying...and I thought santa really WAS gonna come this year.
Posted by: earl klugh at December 28, 2007 2:21 PM.................................................. © 2003 - 2006 bagatellen ..................................................