Tempus Ouroboros: cinéma pour l'orchestre was composed in Oberlin, Ohio (2021) for the Oberlin Orchestra under the direction of Raphael Jiménez. If I had to summarize the piece, I’d say it’s “a day in the life of a conductor.” Due to the pandemic, distancing protocols limited the number of musicians on stage, there was no live audience, and multiple spaces were required for rehearsals. In this sense, the piece captures Raphael’s conducting experience.
I will share a little more about the piece if you are interested (spoiler alert) – or if you prefer surprises, then don’t continue reading, you can always come back to this later.
Structurally, I am playing with time, specifically by using footage going forward and backward. This is certainly not new, composers regularly utilize retrograde motion, as do choreographers, filmmakers, etc. You will notice in the piece that the video will sometimes split – with one visual thread continuing to move forward, while the new thread turns around and goes backward.
Sometimes a thread moving in reverse will turn around and start moving forward again. For example, exactly halfway through the piece the footage splits, and if all goes well, exactly when the original forward-moving thread reaches the end, the backward-moving thread will arrive at the beginning. This creates a structure like the mythical ouroboros, a dragon or serpent eating its own tale.
To make things more interesting, imagine that the actual time and place of the beginning of the piece, is the same as the ending of the piece: you will arrive at the same time and place from two directions, the past and the future, simultaneously. I think the best way of picturing this is to look at one of M.C. Escher’s pieces based on the “Penrose Steps.” My piece is structured on similar concepts but in the musical domain and articulated through time.
Triptych was created in Oberlin, Ohio (2015) for a video by Anita Pantin (I: Triptico, II: Ventana) and Tom Lopez (III: Ojo).
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Metropolitana was composed in Oberlin, Ohio (2011) for a video by Nate Pagel. This is the third project in a series of works based on subway systems from around the world. The first was from the Métropolitain in Paris and the second from the Underground in London. This work features the visual and aural environment of the Milan metro.
Dirge Déjà Vu was composed in Oberlin, Ohio (2007). "Déjà vu" is the uncanny feeling that the current moment has happened before. But what is the feeling when the past is not as present as it should be? Imagine hearing people speak a foreign language at a train station and thinking, 'Don't I know that language? Didn't I study it for many years? Wasn't I fluent? I know these consonants and vowels but they don't form words that I recognize.' This piece is a dirge for missing the sense of déjà vu. This is what happens when we smell fresh summer rain on hot pavement and we don't remember why children love bare feet. This is what happens when the body bags come home and we don't protest.
A revised version of this work, Victims of Inopportune Ardor was composed for choreographer Holly Handman.
Dirge Déjà Vu was released by SEAMUS in 2008.
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Underground was composed in New York City, New York (2004) for a video by Nate Pagel. This is the second project in a series of works based on subway systems from around the world. The first project was based on the system in Paris and was titled Métropolitain. This second project features the visual and aural environment of the London underground.
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The Death of the Moth was composed in Oberlin, Ohio (2003, revised in Oberlin, 2006). It was written for chamber orchestra and electronics to accompany film by Rian Brown and Hege Røyert. "Men rush to their doom like moths flying to their death in the candle-flame"—Bhagavad Gita. The moth is drawn towards light, and like Icarus, will inevitably burn its wings and fall. "The Death of the Moth" is a meditation on mankind's "falling from grace" and his out-of-balance relationship with nature. The title is from a short story by Virginia Woolf.
| available in surround-sound on DVD |
Métropolitain was composed in Woodside, California (2004) for a video by Nate Pagel. This is the first project in a series of works based on subway systems from around the world. It features the visual and aural environment of the Paris metro.
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Métropolitain was also choreographed for 12 dancers by Nusha Martynuk.
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Auxilio & Au Secours was composed in Austin, Texas (1998, revised in Oberlin, Ohio 2000). This music was created for a video by Anita Pantin. Both elements, audio and video, were inspired by text. Anita developed the visual elements from "De Donde Son Los Cantantes" by Severo Sarduy, Tom developed the musical elements and incorporated words from "The Waves" by Virginia Woolf.