displacements (1b)

douglasboyce

displacements 1b is the first in a series of works, which will use spatialization to interrogate the role of embodiment in musical performance. The term embodiment refers to the manner in which the performer’s physical self is the source of the sonic component of music, the spatial and temporal location of musical action and decision-making, and (in many contexts and for many people), the figure or emblem of music itself. The work involves the projection (or diffusion) of the live sound of the performers through an array of speakers, and the movement of performers on the stage or in the performance space. These devices are used to literally alienate the performance from the performer, and in doing so call attention to these basic elements of the grammar of performance.

Though a fine recording, this stereo version looses most of the spatialization elements, but gives a wonderful sense of the pitch and rhythmic material of the piece.

The work was composed by the SUNY Stony Brook Contemporary Players in 2009. This performance by counter)induction took place at Tenri Cultural Institute in NY on 20 May, 2011. (Miranda Cuckson, violin; Benjamin Fingland, clarinet; and Chris Gross, cello)