Riley, Terry – “Olson I I I ” – [Cortical Foundation]

Krzton Drda   1/11/2006   A Library, CD

This is a live performance at the Nacka School of Music with Terry Riley directing using Soprano Saxaphone.

Swarms exhibit behaviors that extend beyond what individuals or small numbers can achieve. One voice, one violin, one sax can be enchanting. Here many build something together more complex and constructed that chaotic. Layers, syncopation, transitions that slide throught many measures. There is a quick, stable backbone rhythm throughout that gives the piece a feel somewhat akin to dark techno. This mixes well with a wide range of sounds and works as fill or punctuation. Audience involvement can be heard especially toward the end.

Starting is slow with low wandering for the first fifteen minutes, then voices and strings phase in and out and back and forth. At fourty one minutes in there is a crash and rising tension. At fourty two minutes there are vocalizations, then shouts and warbling from the audience which rise to meet the end of the piece. At fifty two and a half minutes there is a loud buzz that sounds like a production problem, and shortly after this the piece ends to screams and applause and random horn sounds.