Wednesday, April 26, 2017 at the AC Institute, New York, NY

7:30pm doors open, 8pm concert — $10 admission includes free refreshments and light snacks. Drawing above by Tonia Ko.

Description: The Rhythm Method String Quartet in collaboration with the AC Institute of New York presents “Escape-Landscape.” This concert features Tonia Ko’s Escape-Landscape (2014), Bernd Klug’s string quartet and skyscrapter 2.0 (2016), Andrew Norman’s Peculiar Strokes (2015), and Earle Brown’s String Quartet (1965)—all pieces that deal with perception and subtle shifts within it.

Ko’s Escape-Landscape takes its inspiration from drawing the “the intricate layers of earth and ice” characteristic of the landscape in Ithaca. Through changing the distance of observation, however, both landscape and drawing transform into bold geometric shapes. The perception of distance is explored through juxtaposed musical textures.

Klug’s string quartet and skyscrapter 2.0 is part of an ongoing collaboration with The Rhythm Method String Quartet. The first iteration involved an installation in the Austrian Cultural Forum in New York that is now heard as echoes in the electronics. By layering different performances in the live electronics, time can be perceived differently through its engagement with itself, both exposing the personal experiences of the performers and engaging the listener as a part of that new layered perception.

Norman’s Peculiar Strokes explores subtle shifts in perception based on textural changes. Each movement employs a specific extended technique that cycles through shimmering shifts in balance of underlying chorales. The different timbral filters create structure through shifting the listener’s perception of the surface of the sound.

Finally, Brown’s String Quartet (1965) deals with the notation of time and its fluidity by experimenting with score as “mobile.” With its juxtaposition different ways of exploring the subtleties of perception in texture and time, the program provides a window for the audience to reflect on their own perceptions of time, moment, and memory.

Produced with support from the Earle Brown Music Foundation, www.earle-brown.org.

Program:

            Earle Brown, String Quartet (1965)

            Tonia Ko, Escape-Landscape (2014)

            Bernd Klug, string quartet and skyscrapter 2.0 (2016)

            Andrew Norman, Peculiar Strokes (2015)