Test your system...

[Mallette]

The 36th (really) movement of Dr. John Tennison's "Texarkanon: Symphony for Single Unprepared Piano" premiered last night at the Regional Music Heritage Center to a standing ovation last night.  It took four Roland piano synthesizers handling 22 keys each due to MIDI having too much latency to maintain the 4400 notes per second reached in this monumental work.  There is incredible thinking behind this piece that advances music into an are on timbre exploration and temporal relationships no one has dealt with before.  The result engages the psyche in incredible ways.  Frequency response goes to A0, 27.5 Hz. 

 

Last night, the performance was made perfect by two KI-396 speakers and an 1802 subwoofer set up by Jim Hunter in person.  The presence of the sub, though completely out of sight, was palpable but blended seamless with the KIs.  Only "mercilessly transparent" horns built with PWKs 8 Cardinal Points can resolve music this complex.  Thanks to Jim Hunter and KGI for their support!
 

Texarkanon_36.wav

[Schu]

WTF....that piece was pure awesomeness!

Ive never heard that composition before, and I am very very much into steven reich, ellen fullman, phillip glass, conlon nancarrow and many other avant garde artists.

I wish I had been there to experience that in person in that system.

[CECAA850]

That was awesome Dave.  Thanks for posting.

[juniper]

This sounds like a very interesting piece, sadly my computer wont let me pull it up. Is it anywhere else on the web?

[Mallette]

45 minutes ago, juniper said:

This sounds like a very interesting piece, sadly my computer wont let me pull it up. Is it anywhere else on the web?

Tell me your troubles, juniper.  Can't imagine why your PC wouldn't let you download this file.  Have you tried another browser or PC?  Just save it on something.  If PC, right click on it and "save as."  It's 24 bit, and if you are trying to open it some players may not like that.  I use VLC and it plays anything that makes sound.

 

Dave

[Mallette]

1 hour ago, Schu said:

WTF....that piece was pure awesomeness!

It is an incredible work, both in scale and in what John explores.  I've no doubt Conlon would have been thrilled!  John is proof that the "magic" of this area that brought about boogie-woogie (ultimately spawning jazz and rock) is still alive in the 21rst century.  I think he will be considered great as word spreads.  A noted and influential Nancarrow scholar attended from Indiana and took back the entire work to study. 

 

Dave

[Mallette]

Well, if you are anywhere near here's your chance for a double barreled dose of music and music history. Aside from the Regional Music Heritage Center, I also serve on the Arkansas Municipal Auditorium Commission which is working towards a complete restoration of this building. It is considered a temple of music in Europe and I've had European visitors break into tears in Elvis dressing room and such. Elvis, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and many others played this stage regularly in the early 50s before they became well known. Elvis loved it here and spent many weekends here dating local girls, several of whom are still around. Many other greats outside rock, like Louis Armstrong, played here as well. Great acoustics. 

The Texarkanon complete performance will use 8 channel sound in a circle, plus subwoofer. There will be both projected imagery synced to the music, gobos of various types, and possibly laser as well. It's going to be quite a multimedia experience. Folk will come and go, of course, given the 17 hour duration. Did this in Sketchup, VRay Renderer, and Photoshop. 

Might as well throw in a plug for our other interesting event much sooner...next week, in fact. First public access to this railway car which once ran through here and will open as a diner and trainspotting place next week.

As always, Klipsch Forum members are welcome in my home for any of these events, space available. Just PM me. 
Dave