Vermont Counterpoint

30 October 2004


Gamelan Room
California Institute of the Arts


Mebarung Gong Suling


Commissioned by well-known flutist Ransom Wilson and composed by Steve Reich in 1982, Vermont Counterpoint is composed in four sections, manipulating canons by substituting more and more notes for rests. This composition is normally performed with one live flute accompanied by 11 pre-recorded parts. Highlighting various sections of the usually prerecorded parts, the "solo" part plays on piccolo, C flute, and alto flute. This performance uses 11 live flutes with the solo part performed by Dorothy Stone.


musicians :

Dorothy Stone
Andrea Lieberherr (coordinator)
Wayla J. Chambo
Kim Turney
Christine Tavolacci
Sarah Wass
Terese Wagner
Reiko Manabe
Kathleen Gallagher
Jennifer Roth

Category:

Music

Tags:

• mabarung
• mebarung
• gong
• suling
• flute
• ensemble
• musik
• music
• California
• Institute
• of
• the
• Arts
• CalArts

[Stimulator7]

yes IF there had been more time (which I always DEMAND, today,) for SURE would have looped and looped and looped and made SURE everyone was very comfortable with their parts in each and every section and measure, and that everyone KNEW without a score what came next, for how long, etc.

but that particular time, as I said, I didn't know what the fuck I was doing and was also doing too many things at once, and COLLEGE IS LIKE THAT.

Defensive, Really?

[Stimulator7]

LOOPING, which means play them over and over, and not count the groups of 2 measures and then three measures etc in the score, and just GROOVE on it endlessly.

well, when we did this, literally after about five seconds, they suddenly started sounding much much better, just like its supposed to, in fact.

of course, when it would sound good and then we;d try to go on, with the counting BACK IN, it would start sounding lousy once again.

IF there had been a lot more time, for sure I would

[Stimulator7]

as I was saying, as opposed to them acting like typical orchestal musicians, and being CLOSE MINDED about new/other ways of doing things.

, if you don't have all three of those, your basically fucked before you start.

and get a loada this:

1. Music for 18 musicians had no score. (until someone made one at cornell in the 90's but never mind that.)

2. this music is heavily influences by west african music, EWE music, specifically.

[Stimulator7]

Insane, I know, but unless one is very very careful and chooses just the right people (which includes them:

1. desiring to do the project regardless of money, cause they LOVE IT.

2. them being AVAIBLE for it (always a problem with "professionals who are in it for money instead of passion."

3. people who are going to let you properly instruct them and bend their brains, pertaining to playing such music, (as opposed to them just acting like typical orchestral musicians, and

[Stimulator7]

I even knew that then, about choosing the players, but I had and still have a habit of saying yes to everything, especially cool things,

and on that note, ITS COLLEGE STUDENTS< FOR LEARNING PURPOSES! GIVE THEM A FUCKING BREAK!

p.s. I've never, EVER heard this piece played well by ANYONE, except the midi marimba version.

Seriously, I agree with you, you should have SEEN my very palpable anger on and before, the day of the show. there was one person who ended up only coming to the performance.

[Stimulator7]

Mcgradya, I conducted it and I would never have posted it on youtube, the person in charge of the concert as a whole did that.

and I agree. when I took this on, well, first of all I didn't know what the fuck I was doing (at least compared to me now, 7 years later,) and second, someone "other than me" was in charge of getting all the players. (when that happens, with music like this, the results are no good. I would never allow anyone but myself to "choose the players" now. ---

[mcgradya]

I like this piece but i believe this group could have done a lot better on this before posting it on youtube. Don't get me wrong this is a challenging piece but if you going to perform this, do it right.

[giacomozart]

lovely.....

good bye from sicily.......

giacomo

[Stimulator7]

very bad played.... mostly accurate. indeed, but was still learning what works and what does not, in reich music, back then.

[susisonnen]

it is hard to explain: my brain enjoys it, but my intellect is not able to analyze it. really amazing