Search - Earle Brown :: Four Systems

Interesting, haunting

Ryan | Tucson, AZ USA | 08/16/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I can't pretend to be an expert on this type of experimental music, but I know what I like. Flautist Eberhard Blum performs works from Brown's "Folio II", but the central piece is his "open form" composition-- "FOUR SYSTEMS". This piece, composed in the 50's as a birthday present for composer David Tudor, is an experiment in freeing the performer from rigid scores. Rather than a traditionally noted score, this music appears on the page as a series of black lines, some longer, some thicker, some overlapping, some higher or lower on the page. It is up to the performer to interpret the pitch, timbre, volume, and duration, while trying to realize the abstract score. Unfortunately, most of the notes are in German or French, so I don't know if anyone else plays with Blum on this recording, but since he is the only one listed on the back cover of the disc, I think the performance is a series of overdubs, all done by Blum. I've only heard this piece once before, at a live performance by a collective of musicians here in Austin, so I can't really say where this ranks in the hierarchy of Earle Brown recordings, but it certainly is an interesting interpretative choice to do it with only flutes. I like it, and you will too!"