Christian Wolff

At 65-years old in 1999, Christian Wolff is enjoying a renewed interest in his work, with many performances of his music worldwide. The works on this disc, volume 3 of Mode’s Christian Wolff Edition, belong to his minimalist, and open-form, styles.

The Tilbury pieces (1969-70) are named for the pianist John Tilbury, whom Wolff had recently met at that time. Snowdrop (1970), from the same period, was named for the snowdrops among the earliest Spring flowers found in the Vermont countryside where Wolff lives. They attempt to integrate a systematic way of writing with chance and the excitement of early minimalism from Riley, Glass and Reich along with their English counterparts Hobbs, Smith, Nyman and White. A reaction against Serialism, their sound motifs come in fixed cycles, now and again two or more sounds appear at the same time, coincide and collide, making chords.

Tilbury 5 was written 25 years later at the request of the performers Dahinden, Kleeb and Polisoidis to extend the Tilbury set.

Roland Dahinden, a master of extended techniques for the trombone, is in demand as both a new music and jazz trombonist as well as a composer. He has often performed with Anthony Braxton. He has recorded for Black Saint and as a duo with new music specialist Hildegard Kleeb for Hat Art.

Roland Dahinden, trombones, melodica
Hildegard Kleeb, piano
Dimitrios Polisoidis, violin, viola