I must shamefully admit that I fell asleep when I attended my first electro-acoustic concert in Birmingham - and how I regret that! When I heard that NAFA is presenting a similar concert, I did not have high hopes. But having recently been inspired to delve into the discipline of sound art, I attended anyway. Here's the poster:
For a concert of an hour in length, put together by amateurs, the it was actually not too bad. Well, at least I stayed the entire duration. There were pleasant moments tucked here and there, but on the whole, the compositions where rather uninspiring. They all followed a similar audio pattern (a symmetrical building and then releasing of tension) and have a predilection towards the loud and jarring. Much more could also have been done to explore the timbre and panning; too literal interpretations were also taken of themes that were much too sombre and - for lack of a kinder word - hackneyed. But for all it's shortcomings, I really like the set-up of the concert and how the spotlights focus on the individual performers as they present their works.
What was truly pleasant about the concert, however, was the fact that it came to pass and the audience strength was surprisingly high. Electro-acoustic being such a cutting edge art form is still in it's nascent stages in many countries and has hitherto only caught the attention of a niche community. If this is a harbinger of a more prolific future for electro-acoustic music, I am glad to have been involved in the appreciation of it.
With so much music in the air, a few of my friends and I also decided to play a game of musical exquisite corpse (inspired by Lucky 7, which was frustratingly rated R21). With it's birth in Starbucks @ The Cathy in a tattered paper bag, I, Ivana, Grace and Gareth shall begin our little game, each of us having 2 weeks to complete our individual parts of 5 minutes. Down this windy road, the near future promises fun, but holds too so much tantalizing mystery!
For a concert of an hour in length, put together by amateurs, the it was actually not too bad. Well, at least I stayed the entire duration. There were pleasant moments tucked here and there, but on the whole, the compositions where rather uninspiring. They all followed a similar audio pattern (a symmetrical building and then releasing of tension) and have a predilection towards the loud and jarring. Much more could also have been done to explore the timbre and panning; too literal interpretations were also taken of themes that were much too sombre and - for lack of a kinder word - hackneyed. But for all it's shortcomings, I really like the set-up of the concert and how the spotlights focus on the individual performers as they present their works.What was truly pleasant about the concert, however, was the fact that it came to pass and the audience strength was surprisingly high. Electro-acoustic being such a cutting edge art form is still in it's nascent stages in many countries and has hitherto only caught the attention of a niche community. If this is a harbinger of a more prolific future for electro-acoustic music, I am glad to have been involved in the appreciation of it.
With so much music in the air, a few of my friends and I also decided to play a game of musical exquisite corpse (inspired by Lucky 7, which was frustratingly rated R21). With it's birth in Starbucks @ The Cathy in a tattered paper bag, I, Ivana, Grace and Gareth shall begin our little game, each of us having 2 weeks to complete our individual parts of 5 minutes. Down this windy road, the near future promises fun, but holds too so much tantalizing mystery!
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