Album Notes

"Seven Pieces"

Hermann Bühler as; Dorothea Schürch voc; Bonnie Barnett voc; Rajesh Mehta tp; Christof Steiner vcl; Ljubo Majstorovic b; Denis Aebli dr.

Studies in space - where is a group of geometric bodies if the space is thought of as audible? In the composition "Seven Pieces" the space is defined by coordinates as a globe. In the middle of this room is a group of coloured geometrical bodies. At the borders of the room (six directions - North, South, East, West, Zenit, Nadir) six musicians are seated and look at the geometrical bodies. The seventh musician is in the middle of the room.

"Seven Pieces" contains uniform components. They are based on serial calculations of a simplified spatial system. Complexity comes from the interaction of the seven musicians. The composition of "Seven Pieces" defines musical parameters like dynamic, melody, tempo, interval, drone, gesture and word. The measures of the bodies and their colours regulate the time structure of the seven pieces. The time is controlled by the musician in the middle of the room.

"Seven Pieces" can be performed by variable casts. The musicians are positioned as pairs on three axes in the room (horizontal, vertical, diagonal). The seventh musician is the "time-master". His position is in the middle of the room.

The present recordings were recorded live in concert at WIM Zurich in 1992.