Electric Counterpoint by Powerplant

Powerplant

Electric Counterpoint

Format: CD
Label: Signum Classics
UPC: 0635212014325
Catnr: SIGCD 143
Release date: 01 November 2008

1 CD

Label
Signum Classics

UPC
0635212014325

Catalogue number
SIGCD 143

Release date
01 November 2008

Album

Artist(s)

Composer(s)

About the album

Powerplant encompasses the work of some of the most dynamic young British artists, bringing together the virtuoso percussionist Joby Burgess and live sound engineer Matthew Fairclouch. The musical duo are joined by visual artist Kathy Hinde, creating experimental and challenging repertoire, which includes a video of their combined imaginations.

The repertoire also includes a new take on Steve Reich's Electric Counterpoint, first commissioned in 1987 for guitarist Pat Metheny, placing the percussionist against a pre-recorded tape of himself. The pieces by Kraftwerk, widely acknowledged as the pioneers of modern dance music, also feature highly on this disc with arrangements for string quartet and a variety of percussive and electronic instruments.

Een nieuwe interpretatie van Electric Counterpoint door het dynamische Powerplant
Powerplant verkent door percussie geleide muziek met elektronische klanken en visuele uitvoeringen. De groep brengt een gevarieerd gezelschap van vermaarde Britse artiesten bij elkaar: de virtuoze percussionist Joby Burgess, de live geluidstechnicus Matthew Fairclouch en de visuele artiest Kathy Hinde. Samen creëren ze experimenteel en uitdagend repertoire, waaronder een video van hun fantasieën.

Dit album bevat onder andere hun nieuwe interpretatie van Steve Reichs Electric Counterpoint, gecomponeerd in 1987 in opdracht van de legendarische gitarist Pat Metheny, die de percussionist tegen de achtergrond van een van te voren opgenomen tape van zichzelf plaatst. De nummers van Kraftwerk, wijd en zijd erkend als de pioniers van de moderne dansmuziek, komen ook op het album voor, in de vorm van bewerkingen voor strijkkwartet en een verscheidenheid aan slagwerk en elektronische instrumenten.

Artist(s)

The Elysian Quartet

Powerplant

Powerplant is an inspiring collaboration of British artists, comprising Joby Burgess’ playing and electronics with sound design by Matthew Fairclough and visuals by Kathy Hinde. The collective made its debut in 2005, with a sell-out performance at the Southbank Centre, London and has since performed extensively throughout Europe, the USA and beyond, creating an experimental and challenging repertoire fusing seminal percussion works alongside its own work, improvisations, remixes and commissions. Powerplant’s debut album – “a must for anyone surfing the sine waves and all things electronica” Muso Magazine – includes remixes of Kraftwerk featuring the Elysian Quartet alongside Steve Reich’s Electric Counterpoint. Released in 2008 on Signum Records, “Burgess transfers it to a xylosynth, to a create a glinting, chiming soundworld that seems perfectly judged for Reich’s canonical writing.” The Guardian. The second album Import/Export – Burgess’ landmark collaboration with Gabriel Prokofiev – was released in 2010 on Nonclassical Records. Including remixes by artists such as Murcof and a DVD of performances, interviews and documentaries; Prokofiev’s suite for global junk is “pollution as a sound source, recycled to maximum effect ” The Wire. Internationally acclaimed percussionist Joby Burgess is best known for his virtuosic, lissom performances, daring collaborations and extensive education work. Burgess regularly appears both on stage and in recordings with artists including Peter Gabriel, Joanna MacGregor, Stewart Copeland, Peter Maxwell Davies and his chamber groups ensemblebash and New Noise.

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Matthew Fairclough

Composer(s)

Steve Reich

Steve Reich was recently called 'our greatest living composer' (The New York Times) and “...the most original musical thinker of our time” (The New Yorker). From his early taped speech pieces It's Gonna Rain (1965) and Come Out (1966) to his and video artist Beryl Korot’s digital video opera Three Tales (2002), Reich's path has embraced not only aspects of Western Classical music, but the structures, harmonies, and rhythms of non-Western and American vernacular music, particularly jazz. 'There's just a handful of living composers who can legitimately claim to have altered the direction of musical history and Steve Reich is one of them,' states The Guardian. In 1966 Steve Reich founded his own ensemble of three musicians, which rapidly grew to 18...

Steve Reich was recently called "our greatest living composer" (The New York Times) and “...the most original musical thinker of our time” (The New Yorker). From his early taped speech pieces It's Gonna Rain (1965) and Come Out (1966) to his and video artist Beryl Korot’s digital video opera Three Tales (2002), Reich's path has embraced not only aspects of Western Classical music, but the structures, harmonies, and rhythms of non-Western and American vernacular music, particularly jazz. "There's just a handful of living composers who can legitimately claim to have altered the direction of musical history and Steve Reich is one of them," states The Guardian.

In 1966 Steve Reich founded his own ensemble of three musicians, which rapidly grew to 18 members or more. Since 1971, Steve Reich and Musicians have frequently toured the world, and have the distinction of performing to sold-out houses at venues as diverse as Carnegie Hall and the Bottom Line Cabaret.

Reich's 1988 piece, Different Trains, marked a new compositional method, rooted in It's Gonna Rain and Come Out, in which speech recordings generate the musical material for musical instruments. The New York Times hailed Different Trains as "a work of such astonishing originality that breakthrough seems the only possible description."

Steve Reich's music has been performed by major orchestras and ensembles around the world, including the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas, New York Philharmonic conducted by Zubin Mehta, The Ensemble Intercontemporain conducted by David Robertson, the Schoenberg Ensemble conducted by Reinbert de Leeuw and the BBC Symphony conducted by Peter Eötvös. Over the years, he has received commissions from amongst others the Barbican Centre London, the Holland Festival, San Francisco Symphony, Vienna Festival and the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra.

Several noted choreographers have created dances to Steve Reich's music, including Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker, Jirí Kylían, Jerome Robbins and Laura Dean.
Performing organizations around the world marked Steve Reich's 70th- birthday year, 2006, with festivals and special concerts.

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