Variable Formations documents a singular sextet in action: Johnny Chang (viola), Angharad Davies (violin), Jamie Drouin (analogue synth, radio), Phil Durrant (electronics), Lee Patterson (amplified objects/processes), and John Tilbury (piano). Presented at Café OTO in 2013, the performance opens with a series of two-note piano phrases by Tilbury, setting the stage for a slow, luminous convergence of acoustic and electronic gestures. Unlike free improvisation, the piece was designed so that each group develops material from their earlier solo/duo/trio sets, blending prior approaches into a rich new context. Even as members of the sextet had never all played together before, their interplay develops remarkable coherence - nobody dominates, and everyone shapes the music’s evolving center.
The piece hinges on contrasts and discoveries: the tension between acoustic strings and the electronic palette, the resonance of piano counterposed with objects and live signal manipulation. Across forty minutes, the ensemble’s soundscape grows in density without ever losing clarity. Tilbury’s contributions are heard as anchor and compass, providing both substance and space for others to coalesce. The interaction is quietly dramatic, each sound placed with intention, yielding a texture where micro-events bloom in spacious attention.
Repeated listens reveal hidden details - a new focus, fresh micro-narratives, and a structural patience that rewards deep engagement. Variable Formations is less about spectacle and more about the unfolding of possibility, where collective sensitivity yields music that never settles, never repeats itself, and always invites further listening. This is chamber improvisation elevated - open, textured, and fearlessly attuned to both contingency and collective intelligence.
