CYCLIC SIGNS

The shifting realities of our world are regulated by mysterious forces, and while nature’s metamorphoses follow an orderly and logical path, their evolutions occur on time scales infinitely greater than those which define our daily lives. It is precisely the ephymeral character of nature’s cycles which attracts and enchants us: we lose ourselves in the observation of something unknowable, destined to remain eternally beyond grasp or measure.
This record’s driving force springs directly from that magnetic attraction I feel towards the rhythms which regulate our existence, and the many facets these cycles reveal as they mutate.
In composing this material, I have strived to avoid common and predictable approaches to rhythm and tempo by creating unexpected deviations, nefarious and multiform paths to be explored. My hope is to offer to the listener that same sense of surprise and instability that overcomes us as we approach the unknown.
In choosing the instrumentation, I opted for principally monodic instruments (those unable to play chords), and the resulting dry, transparent sound encourages a constant dialog between the music’s horizontal and vertical dimensions. I spent a good deal of energy crafting the compositions in order to properly express their harmonic color through the specific movement and contribution of each voice to the polyphonic whole. Through this method, the harmonic centers – although rarely expressed explicitly – maintain a central role in the architecture of each piece, defining and delimiting color and contrast.
These choices directed me towards the exploration of archetipal soundscapes, sonically unadorned, but complex and detailed in the ensemble context; this aspect has much in common with a number of productions from central Africa which have served as a constant source of inspiration to me throughout my musical life.
The presence of such extraordinary soloists has been of immeasurable assistance; in the end, my task was simply to define the territory to be explored and indicate the path in the most general terms. At that point, each musician was free to express himself as he saw fit. The musical outcome of the whole process filled me with surprise. I hope it will do the same for you.

E.M.