A theremin controls a MIDI interface that manipulates several sound sculptures. The results range from abstract atmospheres to heavy low-frequencies and driving rhythm, with nary a dull moment. Long piano strings are beaten senseless by metallic strikers while water droplets fall in rhythmic patterns onto amplified percussive plates suspended above the ground, blurring the borders between the electronic and the organic. This piece, which had its premiere at the 2003 Open Ears Festival, is, in the professional opinion of the C3R staff, Gordon Monahan's most dynamic piece to date. We defy you not to love it.
Details
Cat. number: C3R 011
Year: 1970
Notes:
In this piece, an interactive theremin controls a MIDI interface that manipulates several sound sculptures. Long piano wires are struck by mechanical solenoids, and water droplets are triggered to fall onto amplified percussive plates. Elsewhere, a dancer manipulates the harmonic resonance of a long piano string , while a DJ mixes in barely-audible recordings to accompany.
'Theremin in the Rain' premiered at the Open Ears Festival in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada in 2003.
