Photo: Dorothea L. Rosenboom
Photo courtesy of Libby Van Cleve
Photo: David Rosenboom
Photographer unknown
Life Field - Retrospective Selections 1964-2004 (2012)
A retrospective collection including new and archival recordings of nine works with booklet containing historical photos and composer's writings; includes: Continental Divide 1964 (new recording), Pocket Pieces 1966 (new recording), And Come Up Dripping 1968 (2001 recording), B.C.-A.D. II 1977 with Salvatore Martirano (1977 recording), Champ Vital (Life Field) (new recording), Predictions, Confirmations & Disconfirmations 1991 (2004 recording) and Twilight Language 2004 (new recording); Tzadik, #8091, New York, 2012, [CD]
Photo: David Rosenboom
This exciting CD showcases four decades of compositional activity embracing minimalism, electronics, indeterminacy, improvisation and more. Continental Divide explores the compositional koan, "How long can I take to resolve a tritone." Pocket Pieces has three short, energetic and subtle movements for flute, saxophone, percussion and viola. And Come Up Dripping is for oboe extended through wild, virtuosic playing techniques and live electronic processing. B.C.-A.D. II, with Salvatore Martirano, explores live electronic duet improvisation with living composing systems symbolically embodied in circuitry. Champ Vital (Life Field)—Introduction; Themes and Transformations for violin, percussion and piano vigorously explores models of evolution, morphogenesis and the transformation of forms. Prediction, Confirmations & Disconfirmations is composed as an interactive software model with the composer's HFG (Hierarchical Form Generator) and realized here with two interconnected Yamaha Disklavier pianos. Finally, Twilight Language is a solo piano work composed with musical "configuration spaces" through which the performer may find multiple pathways with multiple meanings. LIFE FIELD's extraordinary lineup of musicians includes: flute Christine Tavolacci, oboe Libby Van Cleve, alto sax Ulrich Krieger, horn Danielle Ondarza, trumpet Daniel Rosenboom, trombone James Miller, tuba Doug Tornquist, percussion Amy Knoles, marimba, vibraphone, percussion William Winant, salmar construction Salvatore Martirano, yamaha disklavier pianos, interactive computer systems J.B Floyd, piano Vicki Ray, piano, yamaha disklavier pianos, interactive computer systems, buchla music easel/200 series electric music box with homemade digital control system, electronics, conduction David Rosenboom, violin Eric Clark & viola Mark Menzies.
PHOTOS
The photo above shows California E.A.R. Unit recording Champ Vital (Life Field). Images below from left to right are: 1) David Rosenboom composing Continental Divide in Colorado in 1964, 2) Libby Van Cleve, oboist who performs And Come Up Dripping, 3) pianist Vicki Ray recording Twilight Language and 4) David Rosenboom, Slavatore Martirano, J.B. Floyd and Dorothy Martirano (left to right) sometime in the 1980s. Many more and different photos are contained in the CD booklet.