Label: Important Records

ラモンテ及びラディーグの作品で知られる名チェロ・プレイヤーCharles Curtisが参加!!物体の振動方法、音波が人間の耳に伝わる方法、そして脳がそれらを処理する方法等、非常にディープな音響現象を掘り下げ続け2021年12月に他界した米エクスペリメンタル界の巨匠Alvin Lucier。4人のチェロ奏者のために作曲された全1時間4パートからなる大作[One Arm Bandits]が初の単独音源化。本人がレコーディングを監督/プロデュースし最終テイクを承認した作品であり、演奏はCharles Curtis、Judith Hamann、Tyler J. Borden、Laura Cetiliaの4人が担当。右手だけでチェロの開放弦のみを演奏した、特殊な恍惚感に浸れる事必至の超名演。



One Arm Bandits is an hour-long piece in four parts, scored for four cellists. The cellists play only open strings, thus using only their right arms, never fingering the strings with the left hand. Recorded in Alvin Lucier's dining room, this work features cellists Tyler J. Borden, Laura Cetilia, Charles Curtis and Judith Hamann. Lucier oversaw and produced the recording, and approved the final takes.

One Arm Bandits was an important project for Alvin Lucier. The idea for the piece goes back to conversations we first had in 2007 about the relationship between bow direction changes and shifts in phase. In the summer of 2015 we worked these ideas out in long sessions with Judith Hamann and T. J. Borden in New York, and the resulting piece received its first performances in Graz and Zürich in 2016. Alvin thought of One Arm Bandits as a radical statement, I think primarily in view of the severe reduction in material – even in the context of his music – and the physical restraint required in performance. The unusually long duration attests to Alvin's recognition that an expansion of scale was required in order to magnify acoustical details of such subtlety. In November 2021 Alvin saw proofs for the CD artwork. He passed away at the age of 90 on December 1, before he could see the album in its final form. Work with Alvin was always joyful, stimulating, and surprising. We dedicate this recording to the continuing spirit of this remarkable musician and friend.