Morton Subotnick: Music for The Double Life of Amphibians

by Stephen L. Mosko, Calarts Twentieth Century Players

Overview

The music here was recorded for the Nonesuch label between 1981 and 1985, and it makes an ideal path further into the music of Morton Subotnick for those who are familiar only with "Silver Apples of the Moon." The procedures involved are intricate and are explained by the composer in the booklet: the scores involve "ghost electronics" that are not directly heard, but that modify the sounds of the live instruments in prescribed ways, and the four pieces on the album are part of more than one larger set (including the titular "Double Life of Amphibians"). All of this is put forth with refreshing clarity, but it's not absolutely necessary to follow it in order to enjoy the music: the surfaces are delightful. "The Last Dream of the Beast" features Subotnick's wife, soprano Joan La Barbara, and some "conventional" computer electronics along with the ghost score, and its dramatic quality comes through vividly. But perhaps the most purely enjoyable is the opening "Axolotl" (the name refers to a Mexican salamander), for solo cello and ghost score. The performance here by cellist Joel Krosnick, the Juilliard Quartet's cellist and, like the Juilliard's other members (who also appear in the final "A Fluttering of Wings"), a musician schooled on traditional repertory, is extraordinary. And that's one of the keys to Subotnick's music: for all its experimentalism, it retains a firm grounding in traditional procedures. The other major stars here are the members of Wergo's engineering team, who have done superb work in remastering the original and already very fine sound. A major release that delivers the cover-promised landmarks of contemporary music. ~ James Manheim

Product Details

Release Date:	08/26/2016
Label:	Wergo
UPC:	4010228731224
Rank:	149692

Tracks

1. The Double Life of Amphibians~Part I - Amphibians: Axolotl for cello solo and en electronic ghost score
2. The Double Life of Amphibians~Part I - Amphibians: Ascent Into Air for two cellos, clarinet, bass clarinet , trombone, bass trombone, two pianos, two percussion players and computer generated sounds
3. The Double Life of Amphibians~Part II - The Last Dream of the Beast for soprano, two cellos, computer generated sounds and electronic ghost score
4. The Double Life of Amphibians~Part III: A Fluttering of Wings for string quartet and an electronic ghost score: I. A Fluttering of Wings
5. The Double Life of Amphibians~Part III: A Fluttering of Wings for string quartet and an electronic ghost score: II. Dance
6. The Double Life of Amphibians~Part III: A Fluttering of Wings for string quartet and an electronic ghost score: III. Halo
7. The Double Life of Amphibians~Part III: A Fluttering of Wings for string quartet and an electronic ghost score: IV. Song of the Angel

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Stephen L. Mosko   Primary Artist,Conductor
Calarts Twentieth Century Players   Primary Artist,Ensemble
Morton Subotnick   Buchel,Electronics
Dane Little   Cello
Juilliard String Quartet   String Quartet
Joel Krosnick   Cello
Erika Duke   Cello
Joan La Barbara   Soprano (Vocal)

Technical Credits

Roger Mayer   Engineer
Frank Laico   Engineer
Morton Subotnick   Producer,Composer,Liner Notes
Ulrike Bretz-Faust   Editing
Steve Gunther   Photography