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Friday, July 8, 2011

Tragoedia - Andrew Rudin

Tragoedia
Andrew Rudin
A Composition In Four Movements For Electronic Synthesizer
1968

Released for online purchase/download. So sorry, no sample!

The four movements are titled Kouros, Hybris, Peitho and Ate.

From the back cover: All of the sounds heard in this work were produced in the Philadelphia Musical Academy Electronic Music Center on instruments designed by Robert A. Moog. The sounds are white noise, sine, triangle, pulse, and sawtooth waveforms. There are no "live" or concrete sounds in this work.

I actually rather like it when synth is blended with natural sounds. During a period of experimentation with new technology, artists tend to work hard to force the technology to be something it isn't as if they feel the need to impress their peers with their understanding of how to use a "thing". That's natural. But some projects sound stiff or mechanical... or forced. This recording isn't one of those projects. There are enough "pacing" or "theme" shifts in the music to help the piece come across as more fluid or natural.

Each movement is explained on the cover in high-brow college-speak. As an artist myself, I always found it curious how other artists feel compelled to explain themselves in an effort to justify their art. Personally, I think the music or visual art suggests something to the consumer and no amount of explaining the piece can alter that impression.

In other words... Hey! All these sounds and noises make me think of my favorite old science fiction movies!

4 comments:

  1. This is a very interesting score! Never seen or heard of it before!!

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  2. Well... despite my "high-brow college-speak" (when I was 26 years old), I'm glad you note what really IS essential, that the work is "fluid and natural".
    And my note that all the sounds were produced on the synthesizer was made because many people refused to believe I'd not altered "natural" sounds. I'm sort of amazed that people who weren't yet born when I made this continue to be interested. Thanks.

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    1. Hello Mr. Rudin. I own this album of yours on 8-track. It's on of my ALL TIME FAVORITE albums. I myself am an experimental avant-garde outsider musician. I just tried to start a more conventional band and had a bunch of local musicians be abelist to me so now I'm working on another experimental album with people from all over the world. Anyways check out my first album at gappagorgo.bandcamp.com please let me know what you think and your music is PERFECTION

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  3. I just bought this record tonight for 7 dollars and was blown away. Fluid and interesting. Well done. Good ideas/music stand the test of time...

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