PARA-ligo by PARA

Recorded/mixed and mastered in Vienna October 25, 2011.

REVIEWS

There is often a fruitful interplay between the worlds of composed and improvised musics, with musical strategies and techniques of the one obliquely forming and informing the other. No one is surprised any more to find musicians eking out through extended techniques some of the most unconventional sonicalities from the most classical of instruments. In fact, such techniques have now themselves become almost ‘canonical’, part of the conventional musicianship, both within the context of contemporary improvisation (this field that the label Creative Sources has been so tirelessly propagating for the last 10+ years) as well as within the field of modern composition. The trio ‘Para’ contains within itself these two worlds, with hornist Elena Kakaliagou more part of the world of composed musical practice, pianist Ingrid Schmoliner more at home in the world of improvised music, and double-bassist & composer Thomas Skempowski himself a man of both worlds. This release, ‘Ligo’ is itself definitely a hybrid of sorts, undefinable as to its generic constitution and unfathomable as to its intentions. And that, i assume, is exactly what it wants to be. Strikingly the implementation of traditional, conventional musical techniques sets the stage for a magical sequence of events. Apart from this use of conventional musical techniques there is also a more traditional narrativity in play here, with the pieces successively unfolding some kind of absurd and definitely unconceivable drama. Although extended techniques abound on this release as well, the choice for such techniques too is here apparently not solely musically defined but also theatrical in nature, as can be made up from the press release. Both the utilization of mixed techniques and mixed styles make for a sense of ‘artificiality’ that employs all the different meanings of the word: craft, cunning, invention, deception, contrivance, machination, deftness – all characteristics that might evoke a sideshow at the carnival but are just as well suited to characterize the oblique and unimposing, but quite masterful artistry of this work and of this trio. MP (Vital Weekly)

Jeune trio austro-grec, Para est composé de la corniste Elena Kakaliagou, de la pianiste et chanteuse Ingrid Schmoliner, et du contrebassiste Thomas Stempkowski. C'est à la fin de l'année dernière qu'ils proposaient leur premier album sur le label creative sources, intitulé PARA-ligo.

Une suite de huit pièces aux formats assez courts qui oscillent entre les différentes expériences et histoires des musiciens présents. Des lignes de basse aux accentuations et aux rythmes hérités du jazz, un piano souvent préparé qui est beaucoup dirigé vers la musique contemporaine, et un cor d'harmonie qui n'hésite pas à proposer des mélodies suaves et nostalgiques, adaptées à ce que l'on peut attendre de cet instrument.

Les mélanges sont parfois intéressants, l'intégration des expériences et des influences aussi, mais à part faciliter l'écoute et la rendre aussi plus fade, je ne vois pas trop l'intérêt de ces multiples intégrations ici. On trouve beaucoup de techniques étendues, de préparations ingénieuses, et d'expérimentations sonores parfois réussies: aucun doute, oui, ce sont de bons instrumentistes. Mais la structure de ces morceaux, la forme dans laquelle ils s'intègrent et le mélange des genres paraissent assez formels et convenus. Un disque qui peut être un bon cadeau pour faire découvrir de nouvelles musiques à quelqu'un à la limite, quelqu'un qui supporterait peu ou mal les musiques improvisées et expérimentales, qui laisse aussi présager de bons musiciens, mais qui dans l'ensemble - malgré les mélanges singuliers - m'a paru un peu trop aguicheur et convenu. Julien Héraud (ImprovSphere)

El trío Para que alinea a Ingrid Schmoliner en piano, Elena Kakaliagou (Aeolides Quintet, Rank Ensemble y Luiss, entre otros) en trompa y Thomas Stempkowski (Bergtatt, Vienna Improvisers Orchestra, Quanten, etc.) en contrabajo ofrece, desde la perspectiva de un lenguaje sonoro experimental, una elaborada propuesta estética que se asienta en los principios fundacionales de la composición instantánea contemporánea.
En el entramado sónico del trío –además de su infrecuente paleta tímbrica- se aúnan la íntima austeridad de la música de cámara, una reducción de los elementos composicionales como en el minimalismo, el apego a traspasar las fronteras tradicionales de armonía a la manera del dodecafonismo, cierta forma de cuestionamiento a los valores mismos de la música y la naturaleza del sonido implícitos en la música aleatoria (pensemos en John Cage) y, fundamentalmente, el carácter exploratorio que distingue a la avanzada musical del nuevo milenio.
En la apertura del álbum, un extenso prólogo en trompa a cargo de Elena Kakaliagou desemboca en el etéreo lienzo que dibuja Heinz , luego adornado por las pinceladas del pizzicato en contrabajo de Thomas Stempkowski y los sorpresivos colores que fluyen del piano preparado de Ingrid Schmoliner. Una pieza en donde la terminología pictórica parece estar más cerca de lo descriptivo que de la metáfora.
Vulgo eipa yuxtapone técnicas extendidas, un crescendo de tono ceremonioso y el enigmático descenso que desemboca en una atrapante conclusión de lectura abierta.
En el trío Para las influencias del jazz sólo se expresan como una prerrogativa implícita en la improvisación pero desplazando las convenciones del género para entronizar un tratamiento del sonido como algo que tiene sentido más allá de la melodía, la armonía y la interpretación.
Esa búsqueda está presente en el inasible relato de Ti ine (aquí acentuado por la voz de Kaliagou), en la exploración de los espaciosos territorios de -1º hacia donde nos conduce el piano preparado de Schmoliner, en la oscura reformulación del leitmotiv de la apertura del álbum implícito en Sandra, en el dramático final del paisaje sonoro de Canidae y en la sensación de pesadez, subrayada por el contrabajo con arco de Stempkowski y los acordes de tono catedralicio del piano de Schmoliner en Ihabkafoelagsen.
El cierre llega –tras un prolongado silencio- con el onírico clima de Juvetsi me porta.
En síntesis: De obligada escucha para todos los amantes de las músicas menos acomodaticias. Sergio Piccirilli (elIntruso)

Another very interesting project from the Portuguese label Creative Sources, a well-established reference frame for lovers of so-called New Music and improvisational scene, comes from Para, a trio of young musicians made up of Greek-Austrian french horn player and performer Elena Margarita Kakaliagou, Austrian pianist Ingrid Schmoliner and upright bass player Thomas Stempokowski. After the harrowing solitary phrasing and the first intertwining by each instrument on "Heinz", which is the preface of "Ligo" (Greek for "slightly"), "Vulgo Eipa" opens the way for a really dramatic integration of a series of extended techniques and cinematic suggestions: Ingrid's convulsive tapping on very low tones keeps listeners in suspense before Elena's horn gradually shrouds listening sphere before the "barney" against Stempokowski's double bass, which could mistaken for an awakening fiend. Even if I don't really understand Greek, some words I understood let me think that Greek words by Elena on
the following "ti ine?", where some resounding object could resemble the opening and the locking of a door, belong to a sort of explanation of what these musicians are performing. The lethargic "-1°" precedes "Sandra", where the motif of the opening "Heinz" seems to get reprised, and "Canidae", my favorite track, where the instruments seems to imitate yelps, howls and barks and even the movements of a dog, while the sinister gabbling of Elena's french horn, the grim austerity of Ingid's piano chords and the writhing sounds that Thomas extracts from his double-bass on the final "Ihabkafoelagsen" could let you imagine the murder of a sleeper by means of the spring of an animated mattress. You'll find the very last death rattles of each instrument on the unexpectedly surrwal bonus track "Juvetsi me porta". Vito Camarretta (Chain DLK)

Creative Sources releases a plethora of improv/jazz and experimental electronic music.
Founded in 2000.

creativesourcesrec.com