This listener heard influences, or at least some common elements, from Morton Feldman, La Monte Young, and the little-known David Toub. What are these common elements? The long, slow development of Feldman and Toub and the long-sustained tone of La Monte Young.
We have here two solo piano pieces by Canadian composer Emilie Cecilia Lebel (1983-). After looking through her well-organized website, I came to the conclusion that this composer’s work spans drones, long notes, and long-form compositions that often bleed into sound installation and ambient music categories. She creates for piano and other instruments, including works suitable for the traditional concert stage as well as works that operate in a more ambient mode, such as gallery installations or site-specific sound design.
The best listening environment for both works is one that allows the listener to focus on the slow development of ideas common to both works. This environment could be a concert hall or, as in this listener’s case, a CD player with good headphones connected and reclined with eyes closed. Although slow to develop, these pieces force the listener to stay put and really enjoy the way the music unfolds, as the initial perceived sparseness gives way to allowing structure and logic to emerge.
Despite similarities to the sound worlds of the other composers mentioned above, these works have a unique and mature sound. In a sense, they are the next generation who have inherited the musical DNA of their predecessors.
One of the things I had to look up was the “Electronic Bow Drone”. This small electromagnetic device is more commonly found in jazz and fusion and perhaps rock bands. Used primarily with electric guitars and basses, this device excites targeted strings on a given instrument to produce a long-lasting tone. There is no doubt an indication in the score of how the performers used it, but suffice it to say that it works well here. These sustained tones fade from the foreground to the background and back again, as the music always relates to the drone’s anchor.
Both works clearly utilize the drone as a structural and sonic tool. I mean, the music unfolds partly through its relationship to the drone tone. Within this framework, the pianist plays various chords, arpeggios, and near melodic lines, producing rhythms that depict the structure. Here I am simply recounting this listener’s experience. I don’t have the knowledge to attempt a more complex analysis, but I guess the point is that such analysis, while undoubtedly interesting, is not necessary for an appreciation of this music, and I respectfully leave it to those more educated than myself People with complex training.
Both works on display were performed by commissioned artists. Technical issues aside, the pieces are satisfying for listeners who can focus on the flow of the music. These are well-designed, engaging pieces that could conceivably succeed as concert performances or ambient sound installations.
This release is another valuable feather in the cap of Vancouver’s Redshift Records. This label celebrates Canadian composers old and new (mostly new). Interested listeners can also check out Riparian Acoustics, a marketing organization with some fascinating curatorial radar. (Note, this reviewer has published at least two other Redshift product reviews here and here).
This is a composer that I’m excited to have on my personal radar. Suffice it to say, she deserves to be someone interested in successful artistic escapades. enjoy!
