Le Roman de Fauvel - {Clemencic Consort + René Zosso}

In the Fifties, René Clémencic undertook his studies in the Sorbonne and the Collège de France in Paris, then in Vienna. Composer, philosopher, musicologist, he did a pioneer work in the field of Middle Ages musics. He proposed a radical and open interpretation which brought him a sulfurous reputation amongst "purists". In the Seventies, he recorded with the Clemencic Consort and along with amazing hurdy-gurdy player René Zosso, secular musics devoted to medieval feasts such as this Roman de Fauvel, a 14th century satire telling the story of Fauvel whose numerous vices makes him a king. Hurdy-gurdies, bombards, jew's harps, musical combs, and other sea horns cheerfully mix with bawlings and clamours, and briskly sweep those clichés of gray and rigorous Middle Ages.

— Listen to a few excerpts —

1975 - Harmonia Mundi

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Music from High-Xingu {Ocora}

Recorded between 1969 and 1977, these aboriginals musics from the Mato Grosso highlands (among the first historical protected reserves in Brasil), are mainly chamanic and ritual pieces, often accompanied by dances and masquerades. They are interpreted on wind instruments (horns, clarinet, gigantic flutes) and sometimes have magic attributes, sometimes an initiatory role or sometimes are considered as mere entertainment for night-long drinking parties. In each one of these in situ recordings, the pace is slow, the ululations and chants create a hypnotising and cheerful atmosphere, imposing and nonchalant at the same time.

- Listen to a few excerpts -
1992 / Ocora C 58002
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New Ireland - Papua New Guinea — {Prophet 21}

Did you know? In New Ireland (one of the north-east archipelago of Papua New Guinea, close to the Solomon islands) people play kazoo, not in solo, but as in orchestra… Founder of the Ocora collection and creator of this splendid Prophet collection, Charles Duvelle introduces rare recordings conducted in 1974. In addition to the amazing popkopas reed-pipes, one can listen to the sound of the garamut drum (a hollow and split trunk around which percussionists dance), a song accompanied by a rubbed metal plate, and chanted reminiscences of long past Christians missions…

Prophet 21 / 2001 + Duvelle interview (in french)
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Alvin Lucier — Silver Streetcar for the Orchestra {Rainer Römer}

Silver Streetcar for the Orchestra (title after Luis Buñuel) is quite minimalist a piece: a triangle is quickly tapped during a score of 19 minutes, whereas the musician plays with all the acoustic properties of the instrument, with progressive accelerations and decelerations. The rhythm is thus perceptively diminishing to the benefit of the flow of resonance.
Mesmerizing.

Rainer Römer : triangle / 19'

algen cd120 / 1997

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