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Ice & Fire / The Bowed Piano Ensemble
Navona

Ice & Fire / The Bowed Piano Ensemble

$18.99

Details

Composer
STEPHEN SCOTT
Artist
Saraiya Ruano, Victoria Hansen
Format
CD
Label
Navona
Released
Nov 19, 2013
Catalog #
NV5937
UPC
896931001373

About



S. SCOTT Afternoon of a Fire 1. New York Drones. Vocalise on “In a Silent Way” 2. Aurora Ficta. “La Guitarra” 2. Baltic Sketches • Bowed Piano Ens; 1 Saraiya Ruano (native American fl); 2 Victoria Hansen (sop) • NAVONA 5937 (51:30)


Sad to say, this may be the final recording released by the Colorado-based Bowed Piano Ensemble, as Stephen Scott, its founder, director, and in-house composer, will be retiring this year, and no one is in line waiting to fill his shoes. A performance by this ensemble looks something like a team of doctors performing open heart surgery on a grand piano. Up to 10 musicians simultaneously brush, pluck, or strike its strings (or other parts of the piano), or bow its strings using nylon filaments or other implements. In fact, the only way in which the piano is not played is by means of its 88 keys! This is not a stunt, however. The results are musically viable, thanks to Scott’s strengths as a composer—he has been influenced both by Steve Reich and by jazz—and to the nearly orchestral range of sounds the Ensemble produces. Electric and acoustic guitars, harpsichords, violins, violas, cellos, double basses, percussion instruments, synthesizer-like effects, even eerie approximations of the human voice all live within the Ensemble’s piano. The Ensemble was founded in 1977.


This CD, which goes by the title Fire & Ice , in an excellent introduction to the Ensemble’s work, even as it brings its output to a close. The most recent work, Afternoon of a Fire , was inspired by a devastating fire that occurred in Waldo Canyon, just outside of Colorado Springs, in the summer of 2012. Scott’s eight-minute composition is, to a degree, illustrative, but it is more a reaction to the fire than a description of it. Three passages for native American flute complement the music, and are an allusion to Ute Indian tribe, which had been associated with the area. There are several passages that are reminiscent of Reich (who is specifically honored in New York Drones , the following work on the CD). The oldest work, Baltic Sketches , is a continuous set of five short pieces that Scott composed for Estonian and Lithuanian musicians in 1997. Much of Scott’s music for the Bowed Piano Ensemble tends to unfold slowly, perhaps because of his interest in jazz, but the Baltic Sketches are precise and immediately effective.


Two of the works include Scott’s wife, soprano Victoria Hansen. In Vocalise on “In a Silent Way,” she sings several wordless phrases from the Weather Report composition to the Ensemble’s accompaniment, before the Ensemble itself takes up the melody. In “La Guitarra,” she adopts a flamenco-like singing style to produce an earthier effect. These works demonstrate how well the Ensemble can play both starring and supporting roles.


Aurora Ficta is the “false dawn,” an astronomical phenomenon also known as zodiacal light, in which light from the sun reflects off dust particles, and a dim triangle of light rises above the horizon, although it is still night. Scott reserves some of his strangest and most interesting sounds for this work, which is a true and uncanny tone poem.


It’s sad to think that there will be no more releases from the Bowed Piano Ensemble, but perhaps someone will step into Scott’s position after all, or perhaps a similar ensemble will be founded somewhere else. Fire & Ice makes an excellent case for the worth of what Scott and his Ensemble have been doing for almost four decades. One might approach their work with skepticism, but one responds to it with amazement.


FANFARE: Raymond Tuttle

Tracklist 10 tracks

  1. 1 Afternoon of a Fire 08:04
    Track
    1
    Title
    Afternoon of a Fire
    Duration
    08:04
    Composer
    Stephen Scott
    Performer
    Saraiya Ruano
    Ensemble
    The Bowed Piano Ensemble
  2. 2 New York Drones 09:28
    Track
    2
    Title
    New York Drones
    Duration
    09:28
    Composer
    Stephen Scott
    Ensemble
    The Bowed Piano Ensemble
  3. 3 Vocalise on In a Silent Way 07:10
    Track
    3
    Title
    Vocalise on In a Silent Way
    Duration
    07:10
    Composer
    Stephen Scott
    Performer
    Victoria Hansen
    Ensemble
    The Bowed Piano Ensemble
  4. 4 Aurora ficta 13:07
    Track
    4
    Title
    Aurora ficta
    Duration
    13:07
    Composer
    Stephen Scott
    Ensemble
    The Bowed Piano Ensemble
  5. 5 La Guitarra 05:49
    Track
    5
    Title
    La Guitarra
    Duration
    05:49
    Composer
    Stephen Scott
    Performer
    Victoria Hansen
    Ensemble
    The Bowed Piano Ensemble
  6. 6 Hocket I 01:13
    Track
    6
    Title
    Hocket I
    Duration
    01:13
    Composer
    Stephen Scott
    Ensemble
    The Bowed Piano Ensemble
  7. 7 Four-Note Aria 00:55
    Track
    7
    Title
    Four-Note Aria
    Duration
    00:55
    Composer
    Stephen Scott
    Ensemble
    The Bowed Piano Ensemble
  8. 8 Hocket II 01:48
    Track
    8
    Title
    Hocket II
    Duration
    01:48
    Composer
    Stephen Scott
    Ensemble
    The Bowed Piano Ensemble
  9. 9 Lament 01:36
    Track
    9
    Title
    Lament
    Duration
    01:36
    Composer
    Stephen Scott
    Ensemble
    The Bowed Piano Ensemble
  10. 10 Dance 02:25
    Track
    10
    Title
    Dance
    Duration
    02:25
    Composer
    Stephen Scott
    Ensemble
    The Bowed Piano Ensemble