MP3 Spem - CLASSICAL: Contemporary

Chilling and uplifting, a unique blend of cello and electronics.

6 MP3 Songs
CLASSICAL: Contemporary, ELECTRONIC: Chill out

Details:
I strongly believe in the music of today, and Iâm proud to say it. I would argue that audiences for contemporary art in general are higher than ever before - the audiences of Beethoven and Mozart were largely comprised of the Royal patrons and their entourages, then hangers on, then those that wanted to be hangers on, then a âkeenâ audience. The safety net of the known is not new, and it will never change, but in todayâs market where one can hear or see anything by clicking a few buttons, ideals and aesthetics have progressed. What was once an underground subculture infested with academia is now a thriving art form, and itâs great to be involved.

The idea for this project has been lingering for a while, but after working with several electronic composers, I realised that it was now possible to create it myself. Layering up Spem in Alium was, ultimately, as easy as pressing record and playing my cello, as there are no edits in the end product: each voice is a complete take (and this is true for the entire CD)
There are plenty of reasons to take the âhard routeâ, but ultimately it creates a real performance. This was something I was desperate to hang onto, as by definition the output is manmade. Recorded perfection is not interesting, much in the same way receiving a handwritten letter is far more personal than a typed one.

I went to every possible length to make the recording sound like forty people in a room once, not one person in a room forty times. After much experimenting, filming myself conducting a straight run through of the piece was the best way. Instead of playing to a traditional âclickâ in my ear, I was actually watching a conductor. This allowed the natural flexibility of visual timing, not the stilted result of playing catch-up to a metronome.

If this all sounds too complicated, just press play and listen!

People who are interested in Kronos Quartet should consider this download.