On his website, Damian Catera is described as an “interdisciplinary sound and media artist.” Thank goodness! If he called himself a composer, I was going to look for a new job title.
I was handed this CD with the title “BACH: The Well Tempered Clavier Book I” and, at least based on the artwork on the front (a portrait of JSB beside 3 small photos of a piano keyboard, two pages of piano music, and a church apse), expected a new recording of those works. Then I noticed, in very small print, these words: “A computer mediated decomposition by Damian Catera.” Ah. Electronic manipulation of some of the most well-known and loved keyboard compositions in the Western world.
I was game. I grew up with Wendy Carlos’ “Switched On Bach” and Tomita’s “The Planets.” I worked with the The Relâche Ensemble for a John Cage-inspired event during their 30th anniversary year. I’ve dabbled in electronic music myself, and my friend Chris Cresswell is rather good at it. Then the person who handed me the CD read a bit of the press release that came with it. According to the release, the works are “transformed through the radical application of contemporary and digital based practices. The result of this sound appropriation process is a five piece album that demolishes disciplinary and genre boundaries by introducing chaos to classical.” Hmmm. Not the most promising description, I thought.
I took the CD anyway – I’ve been surprised more than once when pieces that I thought would be terrible turned out to be quite good. Popped it in the CD player, turned it on.
Yikes. They got the “chaos” part right.
After the dog ran out of the room, I listened through headphones. To the whole thing. Just for you, dear readers – you’re welcome (and you owe me!)
First of all, I can’t help but wonder if Catera is using a demo version of Max/MSP for his “deconstruction.” Each work, from the shortest (at 4′ 23″) to the longest (at 16′ 59″) consists of noise (type A, we’ll call it) lasting anywhere from 3 to 5 minutes, a 5 to 10 second pause, more noise (type B, if you will) for 3 to 5 minutes, another pause, more noise (type C) for 3 to 5 . . . well, you get the idea. It’s like the software has a kill-switch at 5 minutes, then it resets, and the next random “deconstruction” is completely unrelated in any way, shape or form to the previous block of noise. And frankly, when I call this noise, that is exactly what I mean. It is unpleasant from beginning to end, grating on the nerves to the point where I found myself cringing and frowning without realizing how long I had been that way.
When I took my first electronic music class, we all spent time playing around with the various programs. “What happens if I do this? What about that? Ooh, what does this do?” Each of us had all kinds of random noises in various files, but none of us were foolish enough to call that random assemblage a finished piece. Apparently, Catera got to the “playing around” part, but missed the class that talked about turning that into a coherent work.
Perhaps I am missing something, something Catera intended, something in the methodology he used. What’s that? Check the liner notes? Good idea – except there are no liner notes. There is a gorgeous, full-color tri-fold insert that contains: the CD cover art (described above); 3 images of a page of sheet music (1 per panel), each more artistically swirled and randomized than the previous one; a solid block of text that appears to be taken from an edition of the WTC-I and subsequently randomized; and the final panel listing the 5 tracks on the CD. OK, so check his website, right? Nope, no help there either. And the CD production company’s website has little more than the press release. (By the way, this is the only CD in their catalogue at the moment.)
So what we have here is a CD filled with 60 minutes of pure, grating noise, with no plan, no purpose, no apparent thought behind it. AND . . . no credit to the person(s) providing the original recording(s) that have been used for the “deconstruction.” Way to support your fellow artists.
Do yourself a favor. Unless you plan to use this to keep your neighbors up all night, don’t waste your money on this CD.
CD Info:
BACH: The Well Tempered Clavier Book I
A computer mediated decomposition by Damian Catera
Distributed by Praxis Classics
Tracks:
Well Tempered Bach Rock
Well Tempered Laptop
Well Tempered Randomization
Well Tempered Algorithm
Well Tempered Revolution
