Noise Catalogue + Knox Peters in Review
Noise Catalogue: Madeline Hocking, violin; Jonathan Collazo, Dániel Matei, percussion
Knox Peters, visuals
Special guests: Dylan Ofrias & Katherine Fortunato, percussion; Adrienne Schoenfeld, bass; Nacho Ojeda, piano; Austin Philemon, organ; Rea Abel, flute
Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, New York, NY
June 8, 2024
Noise Catalogue, the winners of the 2023 Dwight and Ursula Mamlok Junior Prize for “significant contributions to the performance of contemporary music,” presented a program of works all composed within the last two years (with a number of them having their world premiere performances) at the Holy Trinity Lutheran Church on the evening of June 8, 2024.
Noise Catalogue describes themselves as “a contemporary music collective comprised of Madeline Hocking (violin), Dániel Matei (percussion), and Jonathan Collazo (percussion), in addition to the vast array of musicians and artists with whom they collaborate in their unique concert curations.” Tonight they were joined by Dylan Ofrias and Katherine Fortunato (percussion), Adrienne Schoenfeld (bass), Nacho Ojeda (piano), Austin Philemon (organ), Rea Abel (flute), and Knox Peters (visuals).
This was not the type of concert for listeners who are not prepared to be challenged, to open their minds and ears to sounds and ideas that are unconventional, and even to be confused and have their patience pushed to the extreme limits. Even people who are devotees of contemporary music can find it provocative for the sake of being provocative. This is not a criticism, it is important that there are individuals and ensembles willing to push the envelope, and Noise Catalogue has my respect for their commitment to their mission.
Without any preamble, the first half opened with Three Meditations on Music from Luigi Rossi’s Collection (2023), by Reiko Füting (b. 1970). These three short organ pieces explored the idea of tonal decay in a variety of timbres and moods. They were expertly played by organist Austin Philemon.
Compare the way we move (2023), by Molly Herron (b. 1982) followed the Füting. Percussionist Dániel Matei greeted the audience before settling in to perform this work. The “instruments” were a doorstop, a metal ruler, and a broken flowerpot with shards of different sizes placed on a wooden table. The “music” was the sound of the oscillations of the objects when being set in motion by the performer, the sound itself amplified by contact microphones on the underside of the table. The use of everyday objects for this purpose is hardly original, but the actual effect was quite mesmerizing. The probably unintended and unforeseen “addition” of the ambient street noise heightened the effect.
In our own house, by Alvin Singleton (b. 1940), was next, with Mr. Collazo, Ms. Hocking, Ms. Abel, and Mr. Ojeda. There was much interplay, with insistent motifs and “call and answer” dialogues. It was played with great energy and commitment.
There are two ways to escape suffering it… the second is risky, and demands constant vigilance and apprehension, by Dániel Matei (b. 1994), followed. It had the four percussionists demonstrating their considerable skills as individuals and as an ensemble. There were moments that had a definite drumline vibe that took me back to playing on the DCI circuit. I would not be surprised if Mr. Matei had been in a Drum & Bugle corps in his younger days.
Two works by Madeline Hocking (b. 1995), A chopped tree still splinters to text by Knox Peters, and I look forward to hearing from you (a world premiere) ended the first half. Ms. Peters read her text aloud to A chopped tree, and joined Ms. Hocking in the set-up of a “prepared violin” before joining her in a duet. Ms. Hocking writes in her notes that I look forward to hearing from you was written especially for this event and this venue. All personnel were involved as they were spread throughout the church. Ms. Hocking has talent as a composer- there were moments that had a “soundtrack” sound, and some jazzy piano riffs that sounded improvised, before remembering this is “Noise Catalogue,” and getting back to some more edgy sounds. Other than the Füting work, it was the most accessible piece of the evening.
After intermission, Zakhme, by Bahar Royaee (b.1984), opened the second half. All the players except Mr. Ofrias were involved, and Ms. Peters provided a visual component. The notes tell us the inspiration was the recent Iranian movement called “Woman, Life, Freedom,” a response to “long suppressed social anguish.” Zakhme is the Farsi word for the pick used to play Iranian zithers, and the origin of this word traces back to zakhm, meaning wound. The work begins with the bass being flat on the floor with two strings attached to the bridge as to bind (the oppression?) and the player going at each side of the bridge with a bow in each hand (the wound?). Eventually the binds are removed and the bass is raised to its proper playing position, but with almost all the tension removed from the E-string. The visual component was a painting in what appeared to be various states of completion (there were hints of movement suggesting invisible brush strokes). The concept is ingenious, but there is room for refinement- what the visual had to do with what one heard was at best obscure, and it ended long before the sounds did. Whether this was a miscalculation or intended is not clear, but it was curious. There also comes a time when the message has been received, and further iterations become tiresome. This listener, who generally has the patience for nearly anything, found himself getting increasingly restless, and this negatively impacted my listening experience.
The final work of the evening was theworld premiere of Employee Training (2024), by Thomas Palmer (b. 1997). The performers were Knox Peters (spoken word, projections), Madeline Hocking, Dániel Matei & Jon Collazo. Mr. Palmer briefly spoke, describing his work as a reflection of the inhumanity of corporate culture and the search for humanity within. A more cynical interpretation of what was presented would have suggested this was a Marxist commentary on the evils of capitalism. It’s all in the “eyes of the beholder,” which may or may not please the composer, depending on the reaction. The projected video had flashing of memos in “corporate speak” being edited with increasingly despairing terms, spreadsheets with cells filled with the words, “Keep going, keep it up, keep going, girl boss,” scrolling through at high speed, a photograph of a tract of all identical houses, aerial views of a industrial plant, and employees looking as if they are hypnotized into some sort of worshipful reverence of an unseen force, and canned, fake cheery “hold music” and other mundane instructions being played on a tape recorder. “Training” here is really a code word for indoctrination- Brave New World meets A Clockwork Orange meets Triumph of the Will. Whatever one’s take-away was, it was “worth the ride.” I wish Noise Catalogue great success in their future endeavors.
