General Article name: Diego Minciacchi: The Aforesaid
Genre: Kammermusik (instrumental) Product type: CD Label: COL LEGNO Number of tracks: 5 Duration: 69:45 Tracklist CD - 1 1. Earth Will Have Her Say ..or.. Say What? (if you're searching for specific landmarks), for trombone, percussion & tape 15:56 2. Lilliput-août Collection, for viola & tape 14:15 3. Ritual for the New Morning, for 7 flutes & tape (1993 version) 14:47 4. Cimeli Zoomorfi: ...ich sah ein anderes Zeichen ... or the ... "Uncegila's seventh spot" ..., for alto flute & tape 14:18 5. Westbau from "Der Dom", for bass voice, double basses, trombones & tape 10:29   Description Description

A professor of neurology at the University of Florence and one of Italy's foremost experimental composers, Diego Minciacchi creates fascinating music from raw scientific data and appends cryptic titles to his pieces that give them something of a whimsical, if not philosophical or mystical, context. The Aforesaid, Minciacchi's 2001 release on Col Legno, is a collection of five chamber works from the early '90s, a time when he found his voice and developed a feasible methodology in his works for various solo instruments or small groups with electronic media. For lack of knowing Minciacchi's elaborate procedures -- adopted, by analogy, from systems in the biological world -- some listeners may feel inordinately challenged by these complex works, or at the very least be puzzled by the rambling, unconventional titles, such as EARTH WILL HAVE HER SAY ..or.. SAY WHAT? (if you're searching for specific landmarks) (1990), or Cimeli Zoomorfi:...ich sah ein anderes Zeichen...or the..."Uncegila's seventh spot"... (1994). But understanding these enigmas is not required for enjoying the music, which is adventurous and unusually exciting. In some ways, Minciacchi's music seems like an appealing blend of colors borrowed from Varèse, Xenakis, Radulescu, and Stockhausen, at least in a superficial sense, but how he handles his palette is quite different. To stretch the analogy to painting a bit further, Minciacchi's compositions resemble sonic frescoes or tableaux, particularly in their broad textural sweep, consistent distribution of gestures, and generally static presentation. A lot of twittering goes on between the viola and the tape in The Lilliput-août Collection (1992-1994), but the busy figures and skittering passages are essentially directionless. The same goes for Ritual for the New Morning (1991-1993), where the fluttering of flutes and plucked percussive sounds alternate, almost antiphonally, but suggest no feeling of departure or arrival. Yet if they are taken collectively, all five works on this CD suggest a much longer journey to the heart of Minciacchi's sound world, and the depth and apparent movement of these sonic sculptures only become clear through hearing the whole album in one sitting. With bravura performances by trombonist Barrie Webb, percussionist László Hudacsek, violist Maurizio Barbetti, flutist Roberto Fabbriciani, double bassist Stefano Scodanibbio, and bass vocalist Nicholas Isherwood, this is a tour de force of avant-garde music at its most compelling and it is highly recommended for intrepid listeners. Col Legno's reproduction is clean and clear, despite the many blurred sonorities and resonant echoes Minciacchi employs in his multi-track tapes.

Blair Sanderson

Description

Nicholas Isherwood (Bass), Roberto Fabbriciani (Fl), Maurizio Barbetti (Va), u.a.

Contributors Artist: Barrie Webb Artist: Roberto Fabbriciani (Fl Artist: Nicholas Isherwood (Bass) Composer: D. Minciacchi Composer: MINCIACCHI Diego (1955- ) Record Label: Col Legno Cover Photo: Alessandro Sbriccoli Cover Photo: Diego Minciacchi Cover Design: Diego Minciacchi