WILLIAM PRICE Trope Nos.1–3. Triptych. 2 Days in the Tank. A Crime of Passion. Spline. Sans Titre V for Amplified Cello.1 Tantric Dreams of a Lotus Blossom. WOOSH. Rush Hour2 • William Price (elec); 1Laura Usiskin (vc); 2John Perrine (sax) • ABLAZE 00039 (64:15)
Whenever a release from the Ablaze label comes across my threshold, I know I am in for an interesting listening experience. This album of electro-acoustic music from the American composer William Price is no exception. The pieces are an interesting mix of what I would call sound effect experiments and musical theater. The titles are a very good guide as to which is which. The Triptych, for example, is sub-titled “Three Studies in Gesture and Noise.” That is pretty direct; what we get is electronically generated sound that might serve as samples for video games. Is it music? That depends on how broad your definition of music is. Price produces very interesting sound in these cuts. If that fits your sensibility for what crosses the line into a work of art then you should find something of interest here, at the very least. Then there are the works that are meant to convey a specific theatrical image, including the eerie 2 Days in the Tank, inspired by the work of the drunk poet Charles Bukowski, which conveys the despair of alcoholism with subtle but chilling effect, or A Crime of Passion, based on a Joyce poem, an extremely concise depiction of a violent act. In both cases, Price employs very precise electronic sound effects to convey specific and fleeting impulses that trigger emotional reactions.
In the works that I would put into the sound effects category, it was good to hear that Price explores a broad range of texture and dynamic impact. There are more than few practitioners of electro-acoustic music who get stuck in a rut of monotony, but Price keeps you on your feet, with alert, smart sounds with built-in emotional layers. The program concludes with Rush Hour, which is also the title of the album. This is a three-movement work for electronics and solo tenor saxophone, played with a noirish, be-bop flair by John Perrine. The first movement opens with solo sax, and then slowly builds up steam as the rush hour train starts to take off. By the second movement, the commuter seems to have entered a dream world, and by the third, the dream becomes a nightmare. It is a clever and original mini-drama, and very nicely constructed. Anyone with an interest in experimental electronic music should find this release to be stimulating.
Peter Burwasser