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From: eneumann@bbn.com (Eric Neumann)
Newsgroups: comp.music
Subject: Re: hyperinstruments, VALIS, _Omni_ magazine
Message-ID: <5333@archive.BBN.COM>
Date: 22 Mar 91 14:37:38 GMT
References: <9103180007.AA26001@en.ecn.purdue.edu>
Sender: news@bbn.com
Organization: BBN
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In article <9103180007.AA26001@en.ecn.purdue.edu> davisonj@ECN.PURDUE.EDU 
(John M Davison) writes:
>         I must admit that I have not heard Machover's _VALIS_ yet;
> some critiques of the opera would be welcome.  I do remember
> recoiling when I read a part of a _New_York_Times_ [I think] review
> that compared it to _Tommy_...maybe that's why I didn't buy it.
> 
>         Also, what is this new "hyperinstrument" buzzword?  Simple
> folks like me are unaware of what exactly that term means, and if
> that represents any significant conceptual leap over what the state
> of the musical arts were before the term "hyperinstrument" was
> coined.  Explanations and commentaries would be very, very welcome.

Tod Machover, I believe, is one of the finest, most promising and most 
innovative composers today. I say this coming from a strong classicist 
background, having high expectations for new music created and performed 
using new technologies, but not having been that impressed by much of what 
is currently out there. Too much of today's music is (at best) 
intellectually stimulating, but leaves you emotionally dead -- the next 
day after a performance, you can hardly relive the experience from memory! 
Tod is unique in that he truly does integrate lyricism with modern ideas 
and timbres/sounds in his work.  He seems to have the right balance of 
musical ear and skill and techno-knowhow to compose pleasurable, 
contemporary music.

As for the term "hyper-instruments", I must admit it sounds a bit trendy, 
but it represents a unique integration of real-time performance, MIDI control 
(of music and other expressive forms), and sonic environment structuring.  
I was fortunate enough to see a performance of his VALIS at MIT two years 
ago and was thoroughly impressed.  The music moved me while the 
technologies dazzled me;  you did not know what sonic treat was to be next 
!  The ease with which the piano changed from acoustic instrument to 
water-ambience was eerie ! From what I could tell, a Mac II was the sole 
integrating-computer in the performance, tying percussive instruments to 
pianos to synthesizers to lights.  The programming of it was collaborately 
done by Tod and a graduate student, Joe Chung. 

I hope to hear a lot more of Tod in the near future, opera or suite !

                                                                           
                             -- Eric Neumann