Trees
2023 · Whim Ensemble · Parma Recordings / Ravello Records
Ofer Pelz – prepared piano · Preston Beebe – percussion · Stéphane Diamantakiou – double bass
We delve into the musical interpretation of the ideas presented by Piet Mondrian, the renowned Dutch painter, in his abstract depictions of trees. Our primary goal is to transform his artistic process into music.
Piet Mondrian masterfully distilled the essence of harmonious forms found in nature through a visual approach. He achieved this by iteratively painting the same tree while gradually reducing its visual components with each iteration. This process allowed him to unveil the intrinsic beauty within the complex structure of a tree. In the same vein, our endeavor involves extracting elements from musical gestures to reveal their underlying structures, much like Mondrian’s tree abstractions.
As we progressed through the creative journey, we developed a profound understanding of trees themselves. Their behavior, growth patterns, diverse varieties, and habitats served as our inspiration. We found ourselves exploring metaphorical concepts related to these subjects, which ultimately became the foundation for our musical compositions. On occasion, we employed a series of graphic scores generated from tree photographs to derive gestural inspiration and structural form in our work.
The album is released by Parma Recordings and is available on their Ravello site.
tracklist
- Radicle
- Cambium
- Xylem
- Meristem
- Catalpa (percussion solo)
- Gryllus
- Mycorrhizal Networks
- Fitzroya (double bass solo)
- Hevea
- Inga (piano solo)
- Pinene
credits
- Recorded October 25–27, 2021 at Les Studios Opus, L’Assomption, Quebec, Canada
- Engineer: Sylvaine Arnaud · Recording assistant: Steeve St-Pierre
- Mixing: Preston Beebe · Mastering: Melanie Montgomery
- Cover art: Preston Beebe
- Executive producer: Bob Lord