Minotaur

Minotaur gives the soloist an opportunity to fully demonstrate their virtuoso skills. It requires both imagination and courage to freely approach the pre-composed material, and to create a unique conversation between the pre-recorded soundscapes and the performance space.

The electronic layer was created in a series of Ambisonic field recording sessions, in collaboration with Seattle-based horn player Josiah Boothby. 

Josiah and I visited several indoor and outdoor spaces throughout Washington state. With the use of the Soundfield microphones we were able to fully take advantage of the unique acoustic properties of these spaces. During these on-location recording sessions, Josiah walked through the spaces and improvised several short sound sequences, utilizing extended horn techniques and right hand coloration. We listened to the responses of these spaces and looked for the most acoustically interesting paths. This original sound material was further processed and combined into a sequence of soundscapes.

The formative principle of this piece is heterophony combined with "directed" (guided) improvisation and the creative use of extended horn techniques. The written score is a selection of meeting points between the pre-recorded surround sound material and the live performance. The soloist is encouraged to wander off the musical material written in the score. The player should enrich it by freely utilizing right hand coloration, articulation changes, microtonal melismas and ornaments, while carefully listening to and interpreting the responses from the performance space. If possible, the soloist should walk through the space and at times become invisible, haunting the perimeter of the audience and occasionally leaving the space enclosed by the speaker array.

- Ewa Trębacz