Structure IX
Utrecht Series
1975/2009; 10:23 min.
As is the case for Abgesang, this composition emerged from a complete reworking of the original composition, meant to revive its spirit by way of new sonic palette. As in the original, the key to understanding the piece lies in the ability to follow polyphony. Two forces are opposed throughout the work, one melodic and lyrical, the other, dramatic and percussive. Frequently, these two main forces are split up further into four or more parallel strands.
Listeners familiar with the history of electronic music will hear in this piece my good-bye to European classical music. It took me a life time of working in the electronic medium to regain some of the admirable features of that music in works for loudspeaker.
The original composition was based on a computer-generated score produced with the aid of B. Truax's POD5 and POD6 programs. In the revision, sounds produced by Kyma in conjunction with Koenig's Project One are heard in addition. The piece was produced at the Institute of Sonology, Utrecht, The Netherlands. It was premiered by Curtis Roads at the University of California at San Diego, La Jolla (1978), and presented at NEWCOMP, Boston (1981), Muziekzentrum Vredenburg, Utrecht, The Netherlands (1982), as well as the Experimental Media Foundation, New York City (1982).