14th February 2010

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Wayne Horvitz at the Northampton Center for the Arts

A World of Piano, February 12, 2010

(photo lifted from Horvitz’ website.  Hope he doesn’t mind.)

At Friday night‘s A World of Piano performance, Wayne Horvitz utilized a wide array of electronics and unusual objects in order to effect the sound of his piano, creating an interesting and unique sound from the otherwise familiar instrument.

A heavy assortment of echo, delay, and looping pedals often created atmospheric oscillations, frequently through no more than the plucking of a few strings inside the piano.  The first piece of the night employed great contrast and dynamics; harsh grating sounds were left to echo, before melting away, letting the soft, cautious tiptoeing notes be set up for another attack by the previous noise, continuing a cycle of stress and momentary relaxation.

Horvitz did not rely too heavily on electronics, however, as many of the compositions were just the natural sound of the piano, like “In One Time and Another,” a piece making use of a healthy amount of dissonance, and ending with a quote of “Home, Sweet Home.”

Following this more “acoustic” piece, Horvitz performed what he called a “duet with [his] iPod,” which emitted a simple piece of percussion, allowing him to explore time in a more interesting manner than is usually available to a solo performer.

Throughout the night, Horvitz would drop several objects into the belly of the piano, like paper, his wallet, two music boxes, and a harmonica (which he also played).  Some of the most interesting effects were achieved through the looping and timbre modification of these objects, particularly the music boxes.

Horvitz’ style reflected an ability to let just a few notes hang for longer than might be expected, in order to allow the full effect of the sound be absorbed.  The minimalist experimentation of Horvitz is definitely something to admire, and it’s clear the man has a deep understanding of the relations one can create in sound.

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