Journaling 2

CONTEMPORARY CLASSICAL

Solo violin and electronics. As on his previous “Journaling,” Dufallo collaborates with contemporary (all living) composers to create “a repertoire of 21st century violin music.” There’s good variety here: something for everybody. Notes inside cover are worth reading.

Tracks 3 & 5 would fit any classical show; #1 is world-jazz fusion; 2, 4, & 5 are experimental.

Instrumental - No FCC issues.

1 ** Slow to very fast. Middle Eastern modes & rhythms: like folk dances. Intriguing and very accessible piece. Play it on any classical, jazz, or world show. (6:34)
2 Mid-tempo. Out of nothing, violin and hand drums enter. Melody is shattered fragments. Mix of bowed & plucked violin. Sharp, edgy, keening timbre. Very avant-garde. (7:12)
3 ** Slow. Warm violin. This piece by notable American composer Missy Mazzoli is melancholy, reflective, maybe elegiac. It’s also quite lovely. This is classical music. (7:59)
4 * Slow. Violin with time- and space-warping electronic distortion. It’s kinda spooky. Add background noises. A bit of a challenging listen. RIYL electronic experimental. (6:08)
5 ** Fast-slow-fast (like a concerto). Loops & effects turn one violin into a string ensemble. Technical & showy. (I might say “Baroque.”) Straight(ish) classical. (10:16)
6 * Slow. Electronics dominate in this one. RIYL “Day of Noise.” Liner notes say the sounds are determined by chance. (I suppose by a computer program. The musical term is “aleatory.”) Violin comes to the fore in the second half. Peaceful, soft fade out. (7:21)