Naked Curvature—Four Memories of the Daimon (A Whispered Opera) (2015)
A chamber opera/concerto grosso for six instrumentalists, whispering voices, electronics and interactive computer software (HMSL & SuperCollider) performed by a virtuosic CalArts Chamber Ensemble on a CD from Tzadik (TZ 4009, New York, 2015).
To create Naked Curvature, Rosenboom developed a system of composing that was inspired in part by his long-time interest in William Butler Yeats' mystical writings, particularly his book, A Vision, along with various notions about automatic writing and cyclical dynamics that may drive the changing natures of human psyches. Naked Curvature sets all the players, including the instrumentalists, in particular relationships with each other in each section of this continuously performed work: leading, following, shadowing, ornamenting, contrasting, playing in opposition to, playing in synchrony with, and so on. A narrative emerges as these relationships are played out in music that traverses a wide range of subtleties and dynamical energies.