Semaphor
A Spatial Composition
for two pioneering instruments
Helder Tenor Recorder & Icosahedral Loudspeaker
THE TEN SECTIONS
by Susanne Fröhlich and Gerriet K. Sharma
During our working process I was confronted with several challenges. The biggest one for me was the reproduction of the sounds I have freshly found. It happened quite often that a new sound I came up with, could not be reproduced right away or was even lost completely. This was sometimes depending on temperature and humidity.
Susanne Fröhlich
SECTION 1: Eingangshalle – körperloser Raum
This section, also called “bodyless space”, introduces elusive sounds and plays with awareness and focus, irritating the listener which of the performers is doing what. The material consists of pre-recorded samples as well as grainy sounds, airy notes and whistle tones, which I can produce on the Helder Tenor through granular tones, white noise tones and the so-called “Pfeifton”. It is meant to be a gentle, but very concentrated opening, with both instruments entering the stage sound wise, touching each other’s surfaces.
SECTION 2: Vorstellungsrunde
The goal in this scene is to present both instruments in a kind of interview situation, showing quite clean and precise what is possible. For us it was important not creating a competition between the two instruments, but rather instigating and teasing each other up to a short climax. I am using techniques, which refer to electronic music sounds, for example the beating Multiphonicsor the bisbigliando on a forte fingering. The peak is reached by a d4 played onboth instruments, freezing the space at that particular moment.
SECTION 3: Spiegelraum
Like aftershocks caused by an earthquake, this section reacts on the drama from before with a comforting pulsation of the IKO, which spreads out through the whole room. I am floating on top of that pulse with soft, pin like pitches created within the extended third registerin combination with the lip-control.
SECTION 4: James Debussy
This section starts with a crescendo built over 50 seconds of both instruments, me being the driving force, ending together in a high, hissing intensification of what happened before. I am using a fast articulation on the extension note b0, slowly overblowinginto the highest harmonics possible, leading into a harsh breath sound at the window of my instrument. Afterwards the atmosphere calms down through two soft, contrary pitch levels: a circulating high sound from the IKO and my lowest notepossible on the Helder Tenor d0, performed with a closed bottom hole.
SECTION 5: Flur ohne Licht
In this scene the first face-to-face confrontation with the IKO takes place. Both instruments are put into a rather uncomfortable situation, which is not meant like a fight against each other. It is rather looking together for an escape way out, which alsohappens at the very end with me leaving the stage behind one of the reflectors. The material of the IKO consists of very fast moving, repetitive sounds and some pre-recorded breathy effects of the Helder Tenor with a closed windway. I am joining this material and go into a dialog with the IKO, also introducing the lip-vibratoto join the repetitive movement of the IKO
SECTION 6: Einöde
After this quite emotional ending, time stands still, and we enter a state of suspension through comforting slow waves of the IKO. Being invisible for the audience, I change both plateletand block, to avoid any unwanted effects through condensed water in the windway. This enables me to freshly re-enter the scene (still behind the reflector) with quite subtle Flageolets, created within the extended fourth registerin combination with the lip-control.
SECTION 7: Dröhnung
This section is a complete solofor theIKO, to highlight its physic dimensions. It gradually expands the space while increasing a full resonating, disharmonic sound, bringing everything in the hall into vibration. Just before getting too demanding, the almost bursting tension dissolves, leaving the feeling of drinking a healing potion which slowly releases its effect.
SECTION 8: Wiederaufnahmeverfahren
While the IKO is still fading out, I am blending into this chord, taking over the solo. I am introducing new material which consists of a variation of trillsand trill figureson f1 and g#1, making use of the extra keysas well. The IKO is more and more accompanying me with encouraging rumbles, high buzzes and pre-recorded air sounds. This inspires me to exaggerate my circular breathing, to add a harsh pizzicatoarticulation, and to allow overblows into Multiphonic trillsand harmonics. After our shared climax, we freeze on a microtonal shifted interval, me using the lip-controlto get as close as possible to the IKO’s timbre. This creates a fermata moment, which at that point sounds like a question mark.
SECTION 9: Windkanal
In this scene the IKO and I are both audibly and visually melting together through strong, high and breathy hissing sounds. By moving the platelet slightly upwardsand putting my right index finger at the windway exit, I can create sharp harsh air sounds which get to the IKO sound as close as possible. At a certain point I lead into the Coda by introducing the final note a1, still staying in the character of the IKO sounds through the white noise tonetechnique.
SECTION 10: Indian Door
Our story has been told, so this section is a moment of as less material and motion as possible, keeping the attention and finally coming to an end. Therefore, I am staying a lot on the white noise tonesin combination with quiet Multiphonicsand Flageoletswhich all are created through the lip-control