30th January 2011

Text with 1 note

Mephista at the Stone

I’m still not sure I would describe it as demonic, but Mephista (Slyvie Courvoisier on piano, Ikue Mori on electronics, and Susie Ibarra on percussion) did construct a vivid, narrative set Friday evening at the Stone.

I suppose it’s possible that I’ve got a fairly simplistic idea of what demonic music is.

—-

The impressions I got from their performance were more varied, their first piece like a rainstorm — Courvoisier’s notes dropping unpredictably; Ibarra playing with a light, subtle hand with occasional blasts of power; Mori’s samples harsh and inhuman. It started softly, and soon became a flood. Through the middle of this composition, sound became muted, dampened by the rising water, Courvoisier plucking the notes by hand inside her piano. It sounded then as if a large ship passed through, but one overrun by a swarm of vermin, shewing through the hull and everything inside, devouring and re-appropriating, creating something new out of this consumption.

The next piece sounded as though it came from the depths of the ocean, massive leviathans disturbing the atmosphere as they slowly carried their giant frames across the deep sky. Soon, an engine sputters towards the listener, and a battle erupts, Ibarra and Courvoisier bouncing around their instruments. The scene eventually gives way to a bizarre serenity, with occasional bubbling up as things settle. A crackling, percussive march in the distance grows louder and louder, but the piece ends just as it reaches us, and we’re left to contemplate the inevitable battle again set to erupt.

—-

Of these three complex performers, I was particularly impressed with Courvoisier’s playing; her rhythm and chord structure were both beautiful and complex, and at times, it felt as though she was chasing around the room with her sound; everything else was a response to her waves. It will be fun to hear more from her.

Tagged: Mephistathe StoneIkue MoriSylvie CourvoisierSusie Ibarra