beet31425 - David Thomas Roberts Two Pieces II: My Unseen: Message Board

beet31425's Comments

Two Pieces (1976), "In One Isolation" and "My Unseen" are explorations of atmospheres both dark and dreamy. The chief influence upon the first was the spare, early piano music of John Cage, whereas the second reflects the impact of Polish Minimalist Tomasz Sikorski, who I had seen in concert and met that year. Working amid the negative, counterproductive music department of Florida State University at the time, I found much inspiration in the example of Sikorski, whose leanings were similar to my own. These pieces also bear the significance of establishing my history as a second generation Minimalist, working in a quasi-vacuum in the heyday of Minimalist exploration.---David Thomas Roberts, August, 2010

Post your comments on beet31425's performance!

Name	Date	Comment
Daniel (Ridicolosamente)	2010-08-23 12:04:11	Excellent Jason! Thanks for sharing this music with us. I love the effect of the tone clusters. And I don't know if you re-posted the performance, but I get no hiss like you mentioned.
heidiv	2010-08-22 13:33:58	I get that creepy feeling when those bass notes come in, like a rumble in the distance getting closer, closer. Oh, and those tone clusters - shiver up the spine! Jason, it's not easy to play this music well, but you really nailed in. What wonderful colors you created!
Inlanding	2010-08-21 23:05:45	I find myself coming back listen to this. It's got to be difficult to play this piece with any consistency. It is very compelling and interesting.
Elene	2010-08-21 03:09:53	I thought the recording quality was exceptional on these pieces. Maybe not precisely what you were after, Jason, but it sounds like a professional recording to me. WAY better than what I have been able to achieve for sound quality.
wr	2010-08-21 01:48:05	Generates a strong atmosphere, certainly helped by your convincing performance.
gerg	2010-08-21 00:32:36	Jason, you can post another recording even though the deadline has passed. Canonie, it does evoke that. I got a rather creepy feeling from the piece, something primitive and ominous, almost primordial. Something delicate yet deadly, reminiscent of a creeping spider. It's hard to wade through which impressions are formed by cultural conditioning (i.e. if such music is employed in the film arts for specific situations) and how much is impressed by the music itself sans outside influences, if that makes any sense.
Jason (beet31425)	2010-08-21 00:15:23	Thanks everyone! canonie, I'm going to show the composer your reaction comment; I happen to know that was exactly the reaction he wanted! Carey-- I'm thinking of starting another recording thread, b'c I'm pretty dissatisfied with what I've got right now. I used a Zoom Q3 (so there's video too), with addition software (iMovie) to enhance the audio. But the final product has too much hiss for me...
Carey	2010-08-21 00:04:50	How did you record this (type of piano - recording equipment, etc.) ??
Carey	2010-08-20 23:52:15	You held my interest to the very end. Beautifully played. A treat to listen to. tThanks !!
canonie	2010-08-20 20:13:08	This was the first piece I listened to in the e-cital. You create such a powerfully dark mood that by the end I was gazing into space and wondering what life means... The contrasts of dynamics is beautifully done. Very interesting soundscape.
Cinnamonbear	2010-08-20 19:03:07	This is beautiful, and very thoughtfully done!
gerg	2010-08-20 11:59:17	This is excellent, and I am so glad that we have a representative of this genre in the e-cital. I'd like to learn more about minimalist music. Thank you so much for sharing this.