Robert Carl

Chamber Orchestra, 3 Female Voices, and Live Electronics 1(+picc)110 - 1110 - timp, 2 perc, laptop - SSA solo - strings

Composer's Note:

My seventh symphony, "Infinity Avenue" is the ultimate iteration of a process that has stretched over about four years. Using a framework I discovered early in this century, I first developed a practice that created harmonic fields, each flowing upward from a fundamental, and composed of the 12 chromatic pitches in the closest registration to their position in the overtone series. These fields in turn were grounded by fundamentals that followed the first six harmonics from the lowest bass note of field #1 on up. (And for reference, I call these fields "ladders".) This was in equal temperament, and while I have been very satisfied with the results, but I have always wanted to explore the same structure in more "pure" tunings. The biggest step in this direction (along with a piano sonata written for Aron Kallay using his retunable digital piano) was the development (starting in 2016) of a Max patch that allowed the 72 pitches of the system to be triggered in real time from a laptop. This first allowed for a version of the piece that could be performed as a real time improvisation in concert, or as an installation over larger time spans. It also allowed for the fields to be activated into randomly cycling constellations. This in turn led to a version for a small improvising ensemble with the patch. And now this version brings the harmonic structure into play with a chamber orchestra and voices. It is the most "fixed" version, though it still allows for open forms at both the beginning and ending. After the initial laptop cadenza, the piece follows a strict sequence of movements played without pause. These explore forms that come out of traditional practice: fanfare, canons (both imitative and mensuration), dances, variations, and passacaglia. In the last, materials from all the previous movements or recapped within the constraints of the form. This is a more abstract work than some I have written in the past, but what I hope justifies its rigor is the communication of a vast sonic architecture that opens up expanses of "amplifying space", bringing a sense of openness and exhilaration to the listener.