December by Craig Shepard (Guy Vandromme)

DUE TO A PRODUCTION DELAY, THIS IS THE DIGITAL PRE-RELEASE OF WADI 04. A VINYL EDITION WILL FOLLOW IN 2025.

_____

"I remember the first time I sat at a piano, my feet dangling over the edge. As I tested the keys, I felt a wonder and joy at the sound coming out of the instrument. I still feel that joy every time I sit at a piano. In the two drone works in this release: "December" and "Thomas," I was intrigued in the contrast of the rhythm of the hammers striking the strings with the rhythm of the swelling overtones. On "Thomas", the trumpet tones blend and contrast, sometimes revealing the piano, and sometimes sprouting out of it."

"Thomas" was commissioned by Thomas Stiegler, who performed piano on the premiere. "Gelassenheit" was a commission from Nicolas Horvath as part of an homage to Philip Glass.
- Craig Shepard

_____

The works and ideas of Craig Shepard have profoundly influenced the collaboration between Guy Vandromme and wadi label host Adriaan Severins. Their artistic dialogue on the interplay between listening, sound art, and modern composition cannot be fully appreciated without considering these compositions. In 2016, pianist and curator Guy Vandromme introduced the term ‘timemonochromes' to encapsulate the concept of monochromy in music. December serves as a quintessential example of this idea:

“December for solo piano is such one kind of sonic pleasure that is connected to the effort the mind of the listener makes to understand (or properly hear) the sound situation initiated by the composition. The musical situation will get some degree of its structure from the composition; but the composition cannot account for everything. In the written work, something might be said about the time, or sound, or player or instrument (or all of these), but it is essential to keep in mind that much (most?) of the sonic reality will occur in the situation itself.”
- Guy Vandromme

_____

The 20-minute piece occupies the A-side of the record, while the B-side features two additional compositions: Gelassenheit and Thomas. The shorter composition Gelassenheit explores the piano’s overtones in a distinctive way, allowing more space between the chords and letting the resonant frequencies slowly dissolve into the room tone. Thomas builds on the sonic ideas introduced in December, taking them a step further by adding a trumpet layer -performed by Sam Vloemans- that interacts with, and at times contrasts, the piano’s overtones.

wadi is a platform dedicated to circular music

from remnants of past experiences new sounds are built

wadi’s trail is inspired by natural processes

wadi is curated by Adriaan Severins

wadiplatform.be