GORDON Timber Remixed
View record and artist detailsRecord and Artist Details
Composer or Director: Michael Gordon
Genre:
Chamber
Label: Cantaloupe
Magazine Review Date: 03/2017
Media Format: CD or Download
Media Runtime: 119
Mastering:
DDD
Catalogue Number: CA21121

Tracks:
Composition | Artist Credit |
---|---|
Timber Remixed |
Michael Gordon, Composer
Mantra Percussion Michael Gordon, Composer |
Author: Donald Rosenberg
You might justifiably wonder whether a 50-minute piece for planks of wood can hold our attention, but Gordon has never been at a loss to provide and sustain musical interest. The composer, one of the founders of the Bang on a Can Festival, is a master of rhythmic interweaving and timbral (get it?) subtlety. In the original Timber, he alters patterns to spellbinding effect, taking advantage of the different lengths of wood to achieve a spectrum of delicate and vibrant sonorities. The live performance here by the wizardly members of Mantra Percussion has a visceral impact that will keep you glued to wherever you’re listening.
The remixes add all sorts of electronic effects – from choral layers and drones to variations on rhythms and textures – to complement and comment on Gordon’s urgent sensibility. Each track offers something new and often compelling, finding inventive ways to alter the original material while celebrating its finely graded personality.
The two discs differ not only in terms of genre but also in scale. The remixes are modest portions to be consumed separately. The live original is like an extended, non-stop meal. Both are worthy of appetising consideration.
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