“Three variations on plum blossom” exhibits strong panning of the instruments. The rich strings on the immediate right and the blithe flute on the left create a juxtaposition that intrigues the listener. The independent melodic paths of the two parts complement each other well and seem to switch off the role of main melody.
Clara Rockmore’s performance on the theremin is haunting because of her precision and intentional wavering. It feels as though she is creating the illusion of vibrato in a human voice through her oscillating instrumentation. She demonstrates expert control in performing dynamics.
“Still and Moving Lines of Silence in Families of Hyperbolas” applies the drone technique to an unexpectedly high tone. It is almost piercing in quality. The high-energy percussion that drops in helps to mitigate the sensation. The high-pitch drone seems to weave up and down to the sound of the percussion. It may be due to an applied effect or a natural interaction between the sound waves.
“Dune” focuses on percussion and ambient sounds. The fast rhythm uses a bouncy kick, sharp snares, and shimmering overheads. The introduction of the sub-bass completes the sound image of the piece in the context of the drum and bass genre. The looped vocalization panned to the back-right feels as if it could be artificially generated.
Music 26 Blog: Ryan Hyun 