Trimpin: Above, Below and in Between (Live)

Featuring

Ludovic Morlot
Gerhard Trimpin
Jessika Kenney
Seattle Symphony

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Compositional Technique

Trimpin's composition incorporates live musicians with custom 'kinetic instruments' and uses Microsoft Kinect to translate a conductor's gestures into MIDI signals for mechanical instruments.

Composition History

This work, "Above, Below, and In Between," was commissioned by the Seattle Symphony and funded by Music Alive, a national residency program.

Performer Biography

Jessika Kenney, the soprano on this recording, is known for integrating diverse musical forms, including South East Asian and Persian vocal traditions, avant-garde collaborations, and experimental metal.

Recording & Production

This recording was made live at the world premiere performance of "Above, Below, and In Between" on May 1, 2015, in the Samuel & Althea Stroum Grand Lobby of Benaroya Hall.

Compositional Technique

The composition "Above, Below, and In Between" is structured in six movements and features nine orchestral musicians positioned on a balcony, a prepared piano with robotic devices, and kinetic instruments suspended in midair.

Composer Biography

Trimpin, a sound sculptor born in Germany in 1951, moved to Seattle in 1980 to find objects from aviation and technology to repurpose for his art installations.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Trimpin dedicated this work to three musical pioneers—Conlon Nancarrow, Henry Brant, and James Tenney—who each invented ways to create the music they imagined.