Concertina No. 1: Cathedrals (2009)

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Rudman-Concertina1

Concertina No. 1: Cathedrals was written in 2009 for saxophonist Daniel Mumbauer. The electronic track uses recordings of Mumbauer demonstrating extended techniques on the saxophone, as well as a field recording of a street saxophonist in Paris. Rather than masking the source of the sounds, I wanted to create electronics that would blend with the live saxophone so that the listener would not always be sure whether sounds are coming from the speakers or the performer. The samples are therefore processed minimally (mostly using a large amount of ‘cathedral’ reverb) to ensure the “saxophone-ness” is not lost. Extended techniques and an improvisatory element in the live part are designed to further blur the boundaries between the acoustic and the electronic.