disc one track 8 - 10:30
Bentley Jarvis - Where was I…?
ANALYSIS: writing to sound some similar motion of the piece
writing to sound
One is Thrown into Chaos. Harmonic and Dynamic Chaos. All spacious sounds occupying much space, moving into one another, falling down stairs, being shoved and born… much like walking around in a hall of mirrors. Distortion makes all speculation.
But there is this relaxed sense. The sounds are so soft. And constant enough not to cause any suspicion to the dreamer. Life travels past as usual, stretched when going away, squeezed when coming towards…
Silence
Again, a new level. More of these morphous sounds. They merry-go-round… but slower this time… This piece is very much like a merry-go-round actually. Cycles of the same, but different every time… to the observer. Scary, but also enchanting and calm. One can see the plastic horses' faces. And feel the revolutions.
The cycle begins again. The gears are put on faster this time… the tunnel, the masks, the distortion… the blindness, the passion… the human voices… the screams no longer screams… but melted smiles.. zooming by.. zooming by.. zooming by.. like a black hole fall…. backwards.
It's slowing again… but won't give in.. I'm cracking a bit… pushed forward. These sounds talk. Are synthetically intelligent. Are complementary to each other. Are atmospheric.
It is hard to describe this piece in terms of action. It would be more accurate to set it up as a space where sounds are put into, each round, to interact with eachother. They rub each other, colour eachother, adjust to move with one another, and compete for space… get ruptured…
push the boundaries of this space. Push at the listener, and pull. Punch… Circle… There is a dizzying effect and everything is lifted by the tornado of softness and warmth.
The piece continues as such. The space is circular and warm and slick, and I cannot help but find it womb like… could be symbolic of the female reproductive cycle. The title "Where was I…?" connotes a waking dream phenomenon which I'm sure is not too far off from that felt at birth. Though this too, is speculation.
I would dance this piece, but this kind of analysis is not possible in this forum. But if a stage was set up, this could be a very good dance piece. With a black background, and solid colour dancers moving swiftly through chaos. The imagination will have to do for now.
some similar motion of the piece
analysis by Sophia Male
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