Robert Erickson, though not a native Californian, was a significant figure in West Coast music, mentoring a generation of composers and teaching at various universities.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Erickson's music evolved through distinct phases, starting with atonality and serial methods, then focusing on timbre and fluid structures, and later incorporating elements of improvisation.
Performer Biography
Continuum, directed by Cheryl Seltzer and Joel Sachs, has been performing new music and 20th-century classics since 1966 and is known for its 'Retrospective Concert' format.
Compositional Technique
Erickson's later works, such as 'Summer Music', employed techniques like drones, hocketing (a medieval technique of passing melody tones among voices), and carefully controlled improvisation.
Composition History
The two most recent compositions on this recording, 'Two Songs' and 'Recent Impressions', were composed for Continuum, a New York-based new music ensemble.
Recording & Production
This recording was made possible in part by grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the New York State Council on the Arts.
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