ben hackbarth composer

Lines of Communication for violin, piano, trumpet and electronics

program notes

All of the electronic sounds in Lines of Communication are made with samples taken from each of the three instrumentalists. This premise encapsulates much of what I have been thinking about compositionally for the past few years. Not necessarily using computers to create 'new' sounds, but rather to extend the sonic resources of an instrument. Refining these ideas has led me to coordinate the computer part so that it changes sound sources based on the acoustic activity - instrumental gestures 'stimulate' the electronic result. I feel as though pairing the acoustic and electronic elements in this way produces music that sounds live - even though half is live and the other half pre-made. In Lines of Communication, the drama that results from this carefully coordinated dialogue is the main force that propels the piece forward.


recording

courtney orlando, violin | jason price, trumpet | omri shimron, piano



files associated with this work






UPCOMING/RECENT
· 3/6/2011 — video interview for accents online, the web mag of the ensemble intercontemporain.

5/6/2011 — open end will be performed by Melanie Sehman at the Bellingham Electronic Arts Festival in WA.

4/23/2011 — open end will be performed by Melanie Sehman at the Wayward Music Series in WA.

4/19/2011 — open end will be performed by Melanie Sehman at Portland State University in OR.

3/12/2011 — open end will be performed by Melanie Sehman in NY, NY.

· 2/25/2011 — Crumbling Walls and Wandering Rocks will be performed by Ensemble InterContemporain as part of their 2011 season at Cité de la Musique in Paris.

·11/11/2010 — open end will be performed by Brian Archinal at PASIC in Kentucky.

·7/6/2010 — article and video interview by Trevor Hunter at NewMusicBox.com.

· 6/5/2010 — open end will be performed by Andrea Moore at People Inside Electronics in Pasadena, CA.

· 5/27/2010 — Crumbling Walls and Wandering Rocks will be performed by the Wet Ink Ensemble in New York, NY.

· 4/14/2010 — open end will be performed by Melanie Sehman in NY, NY.

· 4/1/2010 — open end will be performed by Brian Archinal in San Diego, CA.

· 3/11/2010 — open end will be performed by Brian Archinal in Tempe, AZ.

· 12/9/2009 — String Quartet no. 1 will be played by Ensemble SurPlus in E-Werk, Freiburg.