Friday, Dec. 13, 2013 | 07:28
Anthony Burr / Charles Curtis - Alvin Lucier
years ago, i can't remember when, i bought a charles curtis album on the basis of a review i'd read somewhere, probably alternative press (back in the day, yeah). that double album, ultra white violet light/sleep, had a droning track and a long rock-ish track on each disc. droning may be the wrong description: charles curtis plays cello on classical recordings and with rock bands, but he also has an interest in wave oscillators and how they pair with his cello. this leads to some pretty avant-garde music.
i've finished the rock/pop/r&b/rap/reggae/dance section of my cds, and moved into classical. the current double album is anthony burr and charles curtis performing works of alvin lucier, one of which is titled "charles curtis". these are duets between cello or clarinet and wave oscillators. they are long, extended tones, with the real music coming from the interaction of these tones in your ears.
this is something of a problem for me, because i already have tones in my ears. high-end ringing, tinnitis maybe (never diagnosed), that interfers with the microtonal variations between the tones on the cd. i think these things also work better at higher volumes, and without headphones: you need space for the sounds to resonate. you almost need to feel the tones to appreciate them fully. i'm doing what i can, but between my ears, the limitations of headphones, and the surrounding office noise, i don't think i'm able to experience this music properly. maybe someday when i have a quality stereo i'll have the chance to appreciate these compositions. until then, i'll look for other ways to explore still and moving lines of silence in families of hyperbolas.
