Tuesday
Aug032010
Contention
Tuesday, August 3, 2010 at 10:46 AM Basis for Act III, Scene 1a: Pike encounters a Talosian keeper. Recapitulating in Scene 1d: Pike battles a kalar.
10 instruments with baritone saxophone solo. Improved recording uploaded 3/27/11.
Reader Comments (6)
At first, "Contention" grabbed me, sort of the way a Bach cello suite
or, more to the point, a toccata or fugue promises to illuminate how
my brain works. But I found myself losing interest too soon. Something
became ordinary before I wanted it to.
Thanks Don. Very useful. I think I can improve on this with some changes to the ways the instruments are balanced in relation to each other -- bringing the more dynamic baritone saxophone solo into the foreground. I might develop the rhythm differently as well.
Beautiful!!! It made me think of your article for ECHO, on El Nino. This was quite stirring, especially near the end, when the instruments rise in register unexpectedly.
Sounds good, Ben. Very spacey!
Hi friends, I added an improved recording today. Many small nuances are different: the flute part's been rewritten, the orchestration thickened a little, and the reverb is richer. But the most significant difference you'll notice is the rebalancing of the recording to bring the bari sax into the foreground, hopefully even on small speakers. I'd love to have your reactions. -BLC
I love Contention, from start to finish! It's engaging, filled with enough diversity and nuance to reward my attention,
and, I suspect, will sustain interest when I return to it, which I plan to do.