The American experimentalist Alvin Lucier has long held a fascination with the physical properties of sound itself. Swing Bridge is an illustration of phase interference between closely tuned pitches: certain organ pipes are removed into special offset chests where their pitches are manipulated by ‘pipe wavers’ accompanied by microtones from a small orchestra. Sizzles is an exploration of resonance in space involving large drums coated in small hard objects stimulated by low pedal notes from the organ. Two version of Sizzles are included here, both approved by the composer before he died at the end of 2021. This is really performance art dependent on the space in which it is performed, and so I imagine the experience is considerably more effective heard and seen live in concert.

Austin Buckett, Melbourne Town Hall, Australia; Australian Art Orchestra

Mode CD312 [61:50] ★★