Telesymphony by Golan Levin, Gregory Shakar, & Scott Gibbons, is a very cool piece due to both the nature of the sounds and the way in which they were orchestrated.
In the piece each audience members phones are treated as its own instrument, set off by the creators, of course the idea behind the composition is fascinating too, focusing on the sounds we carry in our pocket with us every day, reminiscent of other sound artists we’ve discussed focusing on the sounds of everyday life.
While the specific sounds in it emitted from the phones are ancient in technological lifespans, now over 15 years old, the idea behind them is the same they still reflect the sounds that define a part of everyday life.
The important thing about this concert is to try to indicate that everyone is already carrying enough musical equipment in their pocket to participate in an orchestral ensemble
I think these days sampling desktop & mobile sounds is a lot more common, especially with the emergence of internet popular like Vaporwave and the PC music record label about 5 years ago, however it’s fascinating to see these sounds be highlighted in a performance piece, albeit slightly less musical, over a decade before these forms of music began taking off, especially in the form of an ensemble, really emphasizing the fact that these sounds are relevant in our everyday life and makes the attendee not just feel like they’re a small part of the experience but actually be the experience. The chiptune nature of the older mobile sounds is sonically also appealing in a different way than the bubbly modern notification sounds.
The idea Golan Levin mentions of exploring “the musical possibilities of something that people don’t ordinarily think about” is something that will heavily influence my work for the end of the semester.
Pamela Z was able to accomplish this new narrative through fragmentation and collage, as well as of course sourcing the correct people to speak the words – while it may have worked had it been her speaking with the superimposition, it definitely would not have gotten the point across as strongly, as it would not have even with the geeky speakers voices had the collage not been done and overlaid so well technically, whereby as I mentioned she makes it seem like the speakers are practically describing themselves. In a way she also seems to use the description to define herself, or at least this piece of hers, with some emphasis on one phrase: