Pierres Sacrées / Hazard and Tectonics
Stephen O'Malley's Ideologic Organ presents this very necessary reissue of Romanian "spectralist music" pioneer Iancu Dumitrescu's staggering 'Pierres Sacrées' (1989-1990) backed with an engrossing new work, 'Hazards and Tectonics' (2009-2013), commissioned by Glasgow Tectonics Festival.
Born in Romania in 1944 Iancu Dumitrescu has forged a fascinating oeuvre encompassing contemporary composition and philosophy. As the latest addition to Ideologic Organ's currently unparalleled reissue programme, the A-side 'Pierres Sacrées' "for prepared piano, metallic plates and objects" is a cherished piece of work, not least by us. It was originally issued on Edition Modern, the Bucharest-based label Dumitrescu runs with his spouse and long-time collaborator, Ana-Maria Avram and only ever released on CD in 1991.
We'd attempt to define its shocking mass of wretched strings, percussive violence and gaseous resonance as a master-class in anticipation and suspense, but even that would be selling it short. As the label suggest, it's better taken as a metaphor for life on a much grander scale, evoked by an appreciation of quiet/loud dynamics in its haptic sub-atomic resonance and intragalactic clangour. It feels as though we're witnessing star-systems in formation or mountain ranges exploding from a solitary spark; genuinely exhilarating and life-affirming stuff.
The B-side, 'Hazard and Tectonics', whilst crafted with computer assistance 20 years later, nevertheless elicits a similarly visceral sensation with its space-time stretching and mind-bending dynamics. It really is an incomparable piece of work.
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Stephen O'Malley's Ideologic Organ presents this very necessary reissue of Romanian "spectralist music" pioneer Iancu Dumitrescu's staggering 'Pierres Sacrées' (1989-1990) backed with an engrossing new work, 'Hazards and Tectonics' (2009-2013), commissioned by Glasgow Tectonics Festival.
Born in Romania in 1944 Iancu Dumitrescu has forged a fascinating oeuvre encompassing contemporary composition and philosophy. As the latest addition to Ideologic Organ's currently unparalleled reissue programme, the A-side 'Pierres Sacrées' "for prepared piano, metallic plates and objects" is a cherished piece of work, not least by us. It was originally issued on Edition Modern, the Bucharest-based label Dumitrescu runs with his spouse and long-time collaborator, Ana-Maria Avram and only ever released on CD in 1991.
We'd attempt to define its shocking mass of wretched strings, percussive violence and gaseous resonance as a master-class in anticipation and suspense, but even that would be selling it short. As the label suggest, it's better taken as a metaphor for life on a much grander scale, evoked by an appreciation of quiet/loud dynamics in its haptic sub-atomic resonance and intragalactic clangour. It feels as though we're witnessing star-systems in formation or mountain ranges exploding from a solitary spark; genuinely exhilarating and life-affirming stuff.
The B-side, 'Hazard and Tectonics', whilst crafted with computer assistance 20 years later, nevertheless elicits a similarly visceral sensation with its space-time stretching and mind-bending dynamics. It really is an incomparable piece of work.
Stephen O'Malley's Ideologic Organ presents this very necessary reissue of Romanian "spectralist music" pioneer Iancu Dumitrescu's staggering 'Pierres Sacrées' (1989-1990) backed with an engrossing new work, 'Hazards and Tectonics' (2009-2013), commissioned by Glasgow Tectonics Festival.
Born in Romania in 1944 Iancu Dumitrescu has forged a fascinating oeuvre encompassing contemporary composition and philosophy. As the latest addition to Ideologic Organ's currently unparalleled reissue programme, the A-side 'Pierres Sacrées' "for prepared piano, metallic plates and objects" is a cherished piece of work, not least by us. It was originally issued on Edition Modern, the Bucharest-based label Dumitrescu runs with his spouse and long-time collaborator, Ana-Maria Avram and only ever released on CD in 1991.
We'd attempt to define its shocking mass of wretched strings, percussive violence and gaseous resonance as a master-class in anticipation and suspense, but even that would be selling it short. As the label suggest, it's better taken as a metaphor for life on a much grander scale, evoked by an appreciation of quiet/loud dynamics in its haptic sub-atomic resonance and intragalactic clangour. It feels as though we're witnessing star-systems in formation or mountain ranges exploding from a solitary spark; genuinely exhilarating and life-affirming stuff.
The B-side, 'Hazard and Tectonics', whilst crafted with computer assistance 20 years later, nevertheless elicits a similarly visceral sensation with its space-time stretching and mind-bending dynamics. It really is an incomparable piece of work.