This is the Vinyl Version (2 LPs) of „Time Poetries“
Time Poetries is a conceptually and sonically overwhelming album that focuses on the perception of time. It takes rhythmic illusions such as infinite accelerando and ritardando as its starting point, inspired by the research of French composer Jean-Claude Risset. Carlos Guedes develops an independent musical language from this, combining minimal music, polyrhythmics, and electronic sound art.
The album combines two works: the six-part cycle Time Poetries for percussion quartet and fixed media electronics, and the three-movement Fragile Ecosystems for bass drum and fixed media electronics. In Time Poetries , complex polyrhythms, Euclidean structures and Carnatic tempo techniques merge with precisely synchronised electronics to create a hypnotic sound journey. Realised in close collaboration with the Drumming GP ensemble, the result is music that is strictly constructed and yet sensually immediate.
Analogue synthesizers such as the Minimoog Model D expand the acoustic instruments and create dazzling, sometimes psychedelic soundscapes. Pulsating grooves, polymetric overlays and spatial effects blur the boundaries between percussion and electronics.
Fragile Ecosystems focuses on the archaic power of the bass drum. In three movements, minimal material is used to create multi-layered illusions of time reminiscent of the paradoxical imagery of M. C. Escher – loops, changes of perspective, seemingly endless movements.
‘Time Poetries’ is a striking statement of contemporary Portuguese music – innovative, independent and of great sonic intensity.
The album is available on CD, as a high-quality double LP and for streaming in Dolby Atmos. The spatial dimension of this music unfolds impressively, especially in the immersive format.
Programme
Time Poetries
Cycle for percussion quartet and fixed media electronics (2021–2024)
[01] Prologue – 647 Bateqs Pes A Mic
[02] Time Poem #1 – Sliding Pulses
[03] Time Poem #2 – Euclidian Imbalance
[04] Time Poem #3 – The Grand Ritard
[05] Time Poem #4 – O Poeta Da Percussão
[06] Time Poem #5 – Resynthesis
Drumming GP
Carlos Guedes, electronics
Fragile Ecosystems
for bass drum and fixed media electronics (2019)
[07] I. Ponta & Mola
[08] II. Escher In The Room
[09] III. Untitled. Escher’s Back
João Dias, bass drum
Carlos Guedes, electronics
total playing time: 70:48
World premiere recordings
Biographies
Carlos Guedes has a multifaceted compositional activity, counting numerous commissioned projects for dance, theater, film, as well as conventional concert music. In 2019 he had his 80th public premiere, and his work has been heard in numerous festivals and concert halls including The Kitchen, Joyce SoHo, Judson Church, ArCo, De Waag, SXSW, Teatro Nacional de S. João, SIGGRAPH, Shanghai eArts , Casa da Música, Expo '98, Expo 2020, NYUAD Arts Center, Porto 2001, Guimarães 2012, Beijing Modern Music Festival 2016, Sharjah Flag Island Festival, and Asia Culture Center (Gwangju, South Korea).
His music is eclectic, combining influences that range from industrial to world music, from western erudite traditions to trans-cultural free improvisation, often using computational technologies as a tool for further expanding musical expression. Recent collaborations include “Fragile ecosystems” (2019) for bass drum and electronics commissioned by (and dedicated to) João Dias; “Uma coisa longínqua” (2020, Teatro de Ferro, dir. Igor Gandra); “Neve” (2021, Balleteatro, choreography by Né Barros); “Jardineiro imaginário” (2022, Teatro de Marionetas do Porto, dir. Isabel Barros).
In 2021-2022, Carlos Guedes was composer-in-residence at Drumming GP where he developed the cycle for percussion and fixed-media electronic music entitled “Time Poetries” with a duration of around 50 minutes (full premiere in 2023). He recently released the album “Shadows and reflections” (2021) by his duo Chess with the Danish pianist Nikolaj Hess. Some of his music is available on streaming platforms Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, Bandcamp, etc.
Carlos Guedes is Associate Professor of Music at New York University Abu Dhabi, where he co-founded the Music and Sound Cultures (MaSC) research group.
www.carlosguedes.org
Drumming GP
https://drumming.pt
Miquel Bernat, artistic director and percussionist, is one of the leading figures in the international scene, contributing significantly to the dissemination and consolidation of percussion. His work encompasses a wide variety of musical styles, from classical and experimental electronic music to popular and vernacular music, interacting with diverse artistic fields.
He studied at the conservatories of Valencia, Madrid, Brussels and Rotterdam, and attended the Aspen Summer Music Course in the United States of America.
He was awarded the "Extraordinary Final Course Prize" by the conservatories of Madrid and Brussels, the Special Prize at the Gaudeamus in the Netherlands in 1993, as well as the second prize at the Aspen Nakamichi Competition (USA).
He founded Drumming-GP in Porto, one of the most dynamic percussion groups on the international scene, which has received great critical acclaim. Drumming-GP was the resident group of Porto 2001 European Capital of Culture, and has since performed in Brazil, South Africa, Italy, Spain, France, Belgium, and in the largest venues in Portugal.
Miquel Bernat is passionate about contemporary creation, as well as being one of the most committed exponents of the expansion of the art of percussion.
www.miquelbernat.com
Percussionist João Dias graduated and with a master's degree from ESMAE (Porto), in the class of Miquel Bernat and Manuel Campos. In 2016, he began his PhD in Musical Arts, specializing in Instrumental Practice, at the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities of the Nova University of Lisbon. He is currently a PhD scholarship holder from the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT).
He has been a member of the Drumming Percussion Group since 2004, having participated in concerts in Europe and Africa, and with whom he has recorded 4 albums. He has premiered dozens of works by composers of various nationalities, most notably the premiere of Concerto No. 2 for 3 percussionists and orchestra, by Marlos Nobre, with the Gulbenkian Orchestra. He was a member of the European Union Youth Orchestra (2006-2009) where he worked with Vladimir Ashkenazy, Rainer Seeguers (timpanist of the Berliner Philharmoniker) and Simon Carrington (timpanist of the London Philharmonic Orchestra). As a soloist, at the request of the artistic director of the Música Viva Festival, Miguel Azguime, he developed the solo project "Caixa Elétrica" in 2016, with the world premiere of 3 works by Portuguese composers.
He is a researcher at the Contemporary Music Research Group of CESEM, where he focuses particularly on the mediation between composer and performer in the creation of new music for percussion. He is also a member of the Casa da Música Gamelan Orchestra, Pulsat Percussion Group, Clarinetes Ad'Libitum, and a guest percussionist with the Sond'Ar-te Electric Ensemble. He regularly collaborates with Remix Ensemble, the Casa da Música Symphony Orchestra, the Gulbenkian Orchestra, among others.
More information
Catalogue number: NEOS 62501
EAN: 4260063625015
