the music
In order to work within the context of the piece, the music became a part of the space rather than simply being painted over everything. To this end, the music was played through a portable CD player situated off-axis from the audience. This setup separated the music from the soundscape and positioned the music playback so that it was a natural part of the set—like the radio in an average house.

The music itself is a remix/collage of a recorded performance of an older piece of mine. The original, Elegy for Sophie, was composed as a gift to my aunt and uncle when their cat Sophie passed away. The score to Elegy for Sophie can be seen here.

This piece is the source material because it has the simplicity and elegance I associate with Japanese culture. I am not intimately familiar with Japanese music and did not want to make direct references, as these would capture only a few cliches. Instead I wanted a conceptual allusion.

The recording is from a sensitive performance by Tom Moss. The concert was at the Urban Institute for Contemporary Art in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Their performance space is a large brick room that doubles as a movie theater. Incidental sounds from this space, as well as audience noise made their way into the recording. Since Where is Tokyo? explored the notion of space, building the music from a recording rich with spatial sound was natural.

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Listen to the tracks:
Elegy For Sophie
Where Is Tokyo?