The works on this album have subtle thematic connections, allowing it to be heard as a single suite, culminating in the title work, 'tulpa'.
Composition History
The composition 'tulpa' is a musical tribute and reaction to the surreal and convoluted 2017 iteration of the television program 'Twin Peaks', directed by David Lynch.
Compositional Technique
The centerpiece of 'tulpa' is its third movement, a vocal setting of an excerpt from Marcel Proust's 'Swann's Way', which describes an elusive musical phrase as an autonomous, living 'tulpa'.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Curtis K. Hughes's music on this album, surveying over 20 years, has continuity due to his musical relationships with the performers, some of whom are long-term friends and collaborators.
Composer Biography
Curtis K. Hughes's music is characterized by rhythmic restlessness, harmonic adventurousness, and a volatile mix of stylistic elements and political subtexts, often with sardonic humor and quasi-improvisatory energy.
Compositional Technique
The concept of a 'tulpa' — a manifestation of a physical being generated purely by thought — is central to the title work, where germinal musical ideas constantly spawn variants that supersede the originals.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Composer Curtis K. Hughes finds musical inspiration impossible without the collaborative energy of musicians, thriving on the impetus from thinking about who will bring his music to life.
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