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New Music Ensemble, Jacobs School of Music, Indiana University
Scott Voyles, conductor
PROGRAM NOTES
“Before I compose a piece, I walk around it several times, accompanied by myself.” —Erik Satie
Visual imagery has often been a great stimulus to my musical imagination, and when the opportunity to write a piece for Indiana University's New Music Ensemble arose, I had initially planned to base it on some of the works of Jackson Pollock. Although I gave up on a direct ‘painting into music' approach relatively early on, my thoughts about Pollock—as well as other artists of the New York School—continued to play a role in my creative process. In order to be more ‘in' his paintings, Pollock would often spread a canvas on the floor and drip or splatter paint across it. By doing this he could circle around the canvas as he worked and, in a sense, approach the painting from all sides at once. Similarly, while composing Oblique Strategies, I tried as much as possible to approach the music from all sides, viewing time as the surface that I was working on. The result is a music that exists in a state of constant evolution, yet always seems to emanate from the same source.
So what, then, is the title about? Oblique Strategies (subtitled over one hundred worthwhile dilemmas ) is a deck of cards created by Brian Eno and Peter Schmidt. Each card contains a quote or axiom that can be used to overcome artistic obstacles.
A few examples:
-In total darkness, or in a very large room, very quietly
-Imagine the music as a moving chain or caterpillar
-You don't have to be ashamed of using your own ideas
-Go outside. Shut the door.
-Your mistake was a hidden intentionAlthough I never literally consulted the deck during the composition of Oblique Strategies , the general spirit of the cards—with their emphasis on tangential approaches and refreshing one's perspective—was very much in line with my own thoughts and goals at the time.
—Daniel Highman
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