iFiddle Concerto

The Orchestra Underground (a project of the American Composers Orchestra) performed Tech and Techno last night at the Zellerbach Theatre in Philadelphia. The Orchestra Underground's "initiative stretches the definition of the symphony orchestra through non-traditional instrumentation, technological innovation, and multimedia collaborations." The five works that made up the program were quite diverse in their emphasis on the intersection of technology and orchestral music. On the more conservative end of the spectrum were Justin Messina's Abandon, during which the conductor controlled the synthetic sounds, Edmund Campion's Practice, which employed "a new computer-based instrument whose core sound was born from hybrids of the orchestral triangles," and Mason Bates' Omnivorous Furniture, which used morphing electronic beats with chamber-like orchestral sounds. Bates was one of the youngest composers at 28, and I really enjoyed watching him blend into the orchestra while playing his laptop and drumpad. Two pieces stood out for me however. Neil Rolnick's iFiddle Concerto melded the computer and violin into a "cyborg violin" with wonderful results. Watching Todd Reynolds play the violin and manipulate so many peddles with such energy was a real treat. The most moving of the pieces was the last, Call Them All: Fantasy Projections for Film, Laptop, and Orchestra. Daniel Bernard Roumain (who goes by "DBR") composed the piece, adding his mentor, Bill T. Jones' voice and image on film, telling a random story, and adding the turntablist DJ Scientific to the mix. The result was a fantastic and moving aural and visual experience to close the show. I loved the performance, but do wish the Orchestra Underground pushed the limits of technology a bit more. It felt backgrounded more than blended or foregrounded. I think the alternative would bring younger audiences into the theatres. The average age of the audience was typical for your average orchestra (middle-aged, and middle-income too). The photo above is during one of the intermissions, just to illustrate the stage arrangement (no photos allowed during the perfomance). Mason Bates is in the background with his laptop (the young kid with the black t-shirt and light brown hair), and DJ Scientific up front at his turntables and laptops. You can kind of make out the controls for the synthesized sounds next to the conductor's podium. He had an earplug in most of the show and was manipulating sound as he conducted.