Western edge, desert surface, euphrates, eastern edge (2013) by Charlie Usher

2013, ACM Ensemble.

Western edge, desert surface, euphrates, eastern edge
4 ensembles: fl,ob,gt; 2pf; vln,vla,vc; prc,db
commissioned by ACM

Writing this piece, I thought about types of presence sound could offer :
strong presence through offering lots of information, less presence through offering lots of information,
strong presence through offering less information, less presence through offering less information,

quietness being more present than loudness, loudness offering no information, quietness offering a lot of information,
massiveness offering a lot of information, massiveness offering no information,
massiveness smothering information, intimacy offering a lot of information.

I'm still not convinced that any of this is quantifiable,
that's somewhere to start working.

The idea is that we stop hearing the long chord in the strings
and that it becomes part of the flora and fauna of the room

and it's only when the 2 pianos* come back after 3** minutes
(and that the pianos are now out of tune)

do we realise the chord has been sliding upwards all this time
and that this room has changed.

In Michael Snow's 'Wavelength', the zoom fits the story like a glove
in that what happens in the story fits uncannily into the limits of the narrowing shot.
The story gets less and less present, or rather offers less and less information.

Our view of the room changes, and we are left with a photo of the sea
- outdoors - unconfined by horizon - infinity -

so a sort of nudge to look past the immediate
- the medium - the information - the story -

and further afield, to reflection on other things.

But whatever, Wavelength made was almost 50 years ago.

* for me the constant unison creates extreme mass
and the impression of infinitely numerous pianos
** 2 medium and 1 very long