Playful Volatility
by Denis Smalley |imed_9627-0001|
In contemplating the Harrisonian style, my first thought is of
‘volatility.’ Volatile in its agitation, its wayward energies, the
restlessness of its short-breathed phrases, the unpredictable pushing and
shoving of its gestures, its punchy presence, its elegantly controlled
aggressiveness. Relaxed, gentle moments are to be savored in a sound world
where sudden impulse dominates the soothing curve. This is a music volatile
also in its playfulness — sparks fly, fireworks cavort, objects dance as well
as collide, sonic events from the family diary felicitously mingle with
studio life.
The notion of the sound object is forever evident as morphological types
and the panoply of solid and malleable substances are lovingly explored. The
elements of earth, air, fire and water are a constant thread, whether overt
or allusive. Only in the most recent works has obvious human presence
intruded on the world of invisible energies, provoking unsettling
ambiguities.
If there are favorite morphologies then it is those based on iterative
behaviours which have pride of place, for this is a very rhythmic music —
exchanges of pulse patterns, peculiar bounces, granular interiors, halted
accelerations, fleeting ritardandi, twists and turns which evolve their own
particular logic.
Object and texture are in joyous equilibrium. The ear can savour
minuscule, passing ephemera and at the same time admire the surrounding view.
Behind the etching of detail, and the gauging of densities and rates of
change, I detect the influence of those many hours of performing with the
BEAST (Birmingham ElectroAcoustic Sound Theatre) system: I
hear Jonty’s malleable fingers and effusive diffusion style, and when I hear
Hot Air I know that it is designed to explode
spectacularly in diffusion, but that I can only discover its secret corners
on CD.
Look through the stereo window and discover this expansive, exuberant
world.
Denis Smalley, London (England, UK)
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