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Joan La Barbara - Sound Paintings - (Avant garde-Classical) Joan La Barbara - Sound Paintings

This CD offers 6 spectacular musical portraits created for the most part with multitracking of a solo voice. "Urban Tropics" (1988) is a "sound portrait" of the city of Miami built from Latin percussion rhythms, the sounds of birds and animals, and environmental recordings from the Parrot Jungle, the Monkey Jungle and on the waterfront. "Shadow Song" (1979) is described by La Barbara as "a psychological study", a threshold experience where concentration is interrupted by shadows at the outer edges of vision and memories on the periphery of thought". Mysterious, indistinguishable whisperings and words surround the listener as eerie sustained tones emerge from the shadows. "Time(d) Trials and Unscheduled Events" (1984) is a kind of hommage, a "sonic animation based on filmed motion studies of Olympic athletes in action". In 8 simultaneous tracks, we hear the heavy rhythmic breathing at different tempi, sighings, shaking tremolos, quick panting, low growling and groaning, etc., as well as multiphonics and circular singing. "Erin" (1980) is an "imaginary vision of Ireland" incorporating the playful and joyous aspects with wild Joycean characters and folklore as well as a choir of muliphonic singing that is a dirge for the fallen in the struggles. "Klee Alee" (1979), inspired by a Klee painting, has dense chords in the forefront and delicate squiggles of melody in the background as an analog to the painter's contrasting of thick colors and fine lines. "Berliner Träume / Berlin Dreaming" (1983) is a portrait of the city during the days of The Wall in 16 vocal tracks using many advanced techniques with three synthesized tracks of city sounds (locomotive, European siren, sonic boom from a passing airplane). 

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