verierre de vapeur, 2008.
This piece was composed for an ensemble known as ‘the melodica quartet.’ This group was originally pioneered by Taylan Susam somewhat as a vehicle to perform works by Joseph Kudirka, Antoine Breuger, Christian Wolff as well as several other notable composers.
Eventually, I too composed a piece for the group. This piece grew originally with the idea of composing as a ‘very long’ piece. However, during rehearsals, ideas were gathered to also combine the film with pilfered scenes from Sergio Leone’s classic film, “Once Upon a Time in the West”.
The serendipity that this film inspired was a wonderful coincidence and proved to have many dark comedic overtones. Even more theatricality developed and eventually the work became a full-blown performance-piece, complete with a ‘Radio-France’ type introduction of the four performers who play the music from large oversized placards (turned by a designated page turner and echoed by a clandestine-offstage-page-turner). And through all this the musicians play in time to an edited version of Leone’s classic western film.
