Minimalist Dream House
Release : February 14, 2013
To be musically avant-garde in the 1950s meant to be difficult. Not by the end of the 1960s. That decade saw a group of American beatniks overthrow the musical givens of postwar Europe. In a series of disobediently straightforward compositions La Monte Young, Terry Jennings, Terry Riley, Steve Reich and Philip Glass declared that music could be clear, honest, pretty and experimental. Turning their backs on the conventional centres of musical power, the earliest minimalist works got their first public audience in La Monte Young's 1960-61 Chamber Street Series in Yoko Ono's New York loft. Through the 1960s in art galleries and alternative spaces, the minimalists slowly demystified, democratised and Americanised European modernism. They rejected the angst (what Philip Glass would call "crazy creepy music"). They rejected the invisible games. They rejected the theatricality. "I don't know any secrets of structure that you can't hear," wrote Steve Reich in his 1968 minimalist manifesto, Music as a Gradual Process. Minimalism claimed that there was enough interest in the sounding process itself and enough new territory to be explored in rhythmic patterning to sustain a work. If one removed the Baroque complications - the harmonic story-telling and thematic cleverness - that were obscuring the natural beauties of rhythm and sound, what would be revealed and discovered could provide classical music with a new lease of life. They were right. Minimalism was the last great musical revolution of the 20th century. And it became the most influential and successful ism of them all. In the spirit of the loft concerts we also present new works by David Chalmin, Raphael Seguinier and Nicola Tescari.
TRACKLIST
DISC 1
Philip Glass
two pianos / 2008
_ Four Movements for Two Pianos
1. I 05:59 Katia / Marielle
2. II 05:38 Katia / Marielle
3. III 06:47 Katia / Marielle
4. IV 05:17 Katia / Marielle
Howard Skempton
piano solo / 1995
_Three Nocturnes
5. I 02:39 Katia
6. II 01:33 Katia
7. III 01:49 Katia
William Duckworth
piano solo / 1977-1978
_The Time Curve Preludes
8. I 02:27 Marielle
9. II 02:08 Katia
10. VII 03:19 Katia
11. X 01:55 Katia
12. XII 02:53 Katia
13. XVII 02:32 Marielle
Howard Skempton
piano solo / 1989
_ Images
14. Prelude 1 01:20 Marielle
15. Interlude 4 01:22 Marielle
16. Prelude 5 03:04 Marielle
17. Interlude 5 00:52 Marielle
18. Prelude 7 02:32 Marielle
Howard Skempton
piano solo / 1978
19. Postlude 01:47 Marielle
DISC 2
John Cage
two pianos / 1945
1. Experiences, I. 02:19 Katia / Marielle
David Chalmin / 2011
2. Gameland 06:03 Katia / Marielle + Band
Nicola Tescari / 2011
3. Suonar Rimembrando 06:02 Katia + Band
(After Tarquinio Merula's Chaconne-1637)
Aphex Twin
piano 4 hands / 2001
4. Nanou2 03:22 Katia / Marielle
Aphex Twin
piano 4 hands / 2001
5. Avril 14th 02:07 Katia / Marielle
Brian Eno / 1975
6. In Dark Trees 03:49 Katia + Band
Philip Glass
piano solo / 2002-2003
7. The Poet Acts 03:41 Katia
(Music from the Hours for piano transcribed by Michael Riesman and Nico Muhly)
Arvo Part
two pianos / 1984-2004
8. Hymn to a Great City 03:15 Katia / Marielle
Nicola Tescari
2011
9. En 4 Parenthèses 04:24 Katia + Band
Radiohead
piano and vocals / 2001
10. Pyramid Song 05:05 Katia / David
Raphaël Séguinier / 2011
11. Free to X 04:57 Katia + Band
Suicide / 1977
12. Ghost Rider 02:43 Katia + Band
DISC 3
Terry Riley
two pianos + band / 1964
1. In C 28:58 Katia / Marielle + Band
Michael Nyman
two pianos / 1985-2011
Water Dances
2. I.Dipping 04:49 Katia / Marielle
3. II.Stroking 06:31 Katia / Marielle
4. III.Submerging 05:43 Katia / Marielle
5. IV.Gliding 04:43 Katia / Marielle
6. V.Synchronising 05:55 Katia / Marielle
ARTISTS
Katia Labèque piano
Marielle Labèque piano
David Chalmin vocals, guitars, bass & electronics
Raphael Seguinier drums, percussion & electronics
Nicola Tescari keyboards, electronics & piano 2 on CD_2 tracks #3 and #9
CREDITS
Recorded, mixed and mastered by David Chalmin in Studio KML
Produced by Katia Labèque & David Chalmin
Pianos : Steinway Model D
Antonino Rapoccio : Piano technician
Roberto Calbucci : Artwork and design
Roberto Calbucci & Meloni Mitchell : Photos
Igor Toronyi-Lalic : Texts
