Search - Peter Eotvos, Peter Eötvös :: Péter Eötvös: Psalm 151; Psy; Triangel

Disappointing and labored without Eotvosian power. . .

scarecrow | Chicago, Illinois United States | 07/31/2000

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Many years ago I heard The "Chinese Opera" by Eotvos, it was a brilliant powerful display of the electro-acoustic achievements at IRCAM.Where acoustic instruments, their timbre is transformed into smattering mixtures and dense galaxies of sound. The utilization of percussion there was also quite powerful,post-Varese.Eotvos had seemingly a 'mise en abyme' an infinite structural command of his materials. The popular content was also quite unique and underivative well displayed there,with etude-like homages to the theatre of Robert Wilson. IRCAM is the underground mecca of the new music scene in Paris,founded by Pierre Boulez. Boulez had made Eotvos the first inaugural conductor,director of the Ensemble Intercontemporain,following him naturally a post he held until 1991. The dedication to Frank Zappa, I thought was a well-intentioned and a compassionate gesture to a fello iconoclast creator,one who wasn't afraid of a challenge either in the predictable market-driven world of rock. "Psalm #151" has a rebellious content, and Eotvos chooses the bass drum for his timbral accomplice,with whips and evocative scraps.The music is graphic, meaning, the performer has some entrance freedoms. But the moments, unless they are Zen inspired for their pure timbral quality, seem overly long as the work itself a little over 19 minutes, a very long percussion solo. I think when Eotvos allows his creativity to enter the dialogue with academic forms, his powerful imagination seems on hold,or curtailed, like a runner,in shoes one size too small. "Triangle" as well seemed overly labored with the African concept of the musician leader as the central working premise, as kicking things off,call and response. Well that certainly happens with wonderful tuba moments, and the repetition is fine, but the melodic materials seemed to grow thin after the first few movements here,like there is only three ideas that simply get tossed around incessantly. The UMZE ensemble are quite precise however from Eotvos's native Hungary."