Paul Novak - prisms and mirrors (2021) for pierrot ensemble (w/ score)

prisms and mirrors (2021) for pierrot sextet
I’m fascinated by prismatic musical forms: structures that continuously refract and reflect, kaleidoscopically shifting and evolving but at the same time static and unchanging. I imagine a light shined through a series of crystals and mirrors, shimmering into colorful spectra and bouncing in unexpected directions. Similarly, prisms and mirrors maps a single idea through a series of musical refractions and reflections, a set of continuous variations which is by turns textural, rhythmic, and melodic. To me, this concept of musical form resonates with the beautifully collaborative nature of writing music, in which all ideas are continually refracted throughout the course of notation, interpretation, and performance. prisms and mirrors musically enacts this refraction, with all the fragility, intricacy, and color of a prism refracting light.
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prisms and mirrors was commissioned by the Boston New Music Initiative as part of their 2020-21 season. It is scored for flute, clarinet, violin, cello, percussion, and piano.
Performed by Blackbox Ensemble
Created with Scorefol.io

[@UtsyoChakraborty]

Giving off strong Druckman vibes. Love it!

[@tylers9006]

This is super refreshing and I love how it all flows and builds so smoothly. Plus the microscopic melodies you throw in the middle are really nice. This has given me a ton of inspiration to compose

[@mrnnhnz]

Okay, listened to it a second time just now. Enjoyed it even more than the first time. Nice work Paul.

[@OdeToTruth]

I enjoyed some of it, but didn't feel any sense of personality, just paraphrasing existing styles, how is this different or better than other pieces, what the composer's voice? I hear taste, not personality, and I'm confident Paul agrees with that, but it's likely that his ego won't let him admit that publicly. If you want to grow, you must ask the difficult, confronting questions.

[@mrnnhnz]

@@OdeToTruth I've got no problem with asking difficult questions. They're good for getting to the bottom of things often. But, as I don't know Paul, how do I know whether he's letting his personality shine through or not? Hence, I ignore that question, and decide to listen to the music and try and appreciate it as it is, regardless of the conversation about originality. And it turns out I like this. Same thing with me finding some obscure Classical era composer I've not encountered before. To start with I'll ignore all those conversations, even the "What does it mean?" conversation, and just try and appreciate the music as it is (and as I am, from the point of view that music could be said to not exist without the listener.) Some part of my brain will, no doubt, be comparing the music to other Classical era composers, and trying to discern the composer's unique voice. And after a few listens, I'll be "attending" to that facet of the music much more. I'm certainly glad that there are folks out there who want to have the hard conversations. But I'll admit that I do find your dismissiveness leaves an unpleasant taste in the mouth - seeing as, right now at the beginning of my introduction to this music, I'm deliberately not trying to approach the music the same way you are (and my desired approach is equally valid I believe.) For example, if I go to a fancy restaurant, personally I'm looking for a relaxing evening with good quality food that tastes nice, is safe to eat, and is filling and nutritious. If the person I'm dining with says, "I'm glad you think it tastes nice, but there's nothing original here. The chef is being derivative, and not letting their own personality shine through." then I'll be somewhat bummed out. Again, that might be an important conversation to have at some point. But you see where I'm coming from.

[@OdeToTruth]

@@mrnnhnz Art isn't food and the criteria for quality is different, on top of that, taste is subjective though when speaking of art we should be as objective as possible. I just argue that this piece is generic, literally... "genre/style-oriented". Art should reflect the artist's peculiar mind, not a reproduction of an existing discourse, or it looses it's point and magic.... it's easy to just generate contemporary music... it's hard to find something to say....

[@mrnnhnz]

Hard to know where you're coming from. You sound like a contemporary of Paul's who's disgruntled about being overshadowed by him. I believe I've made a number of valid points, whilst you've offered only criticism - both the carefully thought-out and the grumpyboots kinds. I've already mentioned that, as of right now, (& certainly on this forum,) I find the music good to listen to, and I don't want to get drawn into criticism of the minutiae. As for style, I'm not really qualified to comment, as it's been a long time since I spent reasonable periods considering this genre. But it seems both valid, and to have its own voice to me. You're absolutely entitled to your opinion, but I don't like how negatively you give it. Start your own KZbin channel for in-depth consideration of modern composition, or a blog or something (& put your own works up there too.) This has gone on long enough, and is no longer a valid place for this conversation.

[@OdeToTruth]

@@mrnnhnz I come from Switzerland, my name is Angelique

[@machida5114]

sodelicious...........................

[@EmmaFostererfma]

GOOD JOB 👏

[@ubershmuck]

aromatic

[@misterpenguine2869]

Why did you all sound the same

[@OdeToTruth]

Kinda generic...predictable... i can hear your taste but not your imagination.... Relying on pulse always results in music that "works"... try go other ways... i'm curious about the real you not the easy-way-out version of you...

[@mrnnhnz]

I assume you're either joking or trolling. Yes, it looks serial in nature, but no, it's neither generic or predictable (in my opinion.) The fact that a piece has a pulse does not mean that it's suddenly not avant garde, or suddenly "predictable." Not that avant garde was something the composer was necessarily going for. I thought it responded pretty well to the title myself. At least the prisms part. Perhaps I just didn't notice too well with just one listen (so far,) but I expected to encounter some passages that were mirror-images of earlier ones (the mirror part of the title.) Still, interesting piece. Must've been devilishly difficult to perform, so props to the ensemble.

[@OdeToTruth]

@@mrnnhnz i don't care about avant-garde, I care about originality, personality & music which makes one questions.. Not music that finds easy way out by designing it so it works, but rather that where one takes risks, can't know how will it sound, and does something with the material, developing etc. I didn't get that sense from this piece...

[@mrnnhnz]

@@OdeToTruth If you think that music is some sort of "Easy way out," I'd like to present you with, for comparison, something even easier. What? Oh, just 99.999% of the entire body of Western Music. That's all. I've studied music, and I found this piece a good mixture of new-&-challenging, and tried-&-true. I don't WANT to listen to something that doesn't work, personally! Do you call Wozzeck derivative because he uses both a row and the retrograde version and the inversion version etc? They'd been done before... But Berg had his own unique way of using tried-&-true techniques. His stuff is challenging, pushing the envelope, and yet also listenable-to. Same thing here, to me.

[@OdeToTruth]

@@mrnnhnz I can't compare that with 99.99% of western music since contemporary concert music isn't about money or fame while the majority of western music, is. What is it about? Exploring the undone and the unknown of what music can be, while finding your way to tie it to, or make your "take" on other perspectives/styles that came before. I appreciate everyone who composes music because it must be difficult, I just can't say this particular piece is very exciting, original, or crafty with comparison to other pieces of contemporary music... It's ok to see things differently. Probably my biggest anti is towards those who forcefully attempt to be associated with intellectualism and think modern-art / composing complicated music will get them there, it won't, and it's a waste of time and energy for them and their audience. I play Clarinet for an ensemble in Basel, we are seeing a tons of that recently...

[@mrnnhnz]

@@OdeToTruth Well I appreciate your point of view. Personally, I've heard some stuff that has a few similarities to this, but I found that this piece had quite a lot of novel ideas in it, both of the brand-new and old-stuff-done-in-a-new-way varieties. I guess it's a long time since my BMus though. I clearly don't move in the same musical circles as you. It's possible I could play you a bunch of modern New Zealand music - from the nineties - and you'd find it very innovative because you haven't been moving in those circles. (Whilst musos here might find it as old-hat as you find this. You know?) I'm a composer myself. I guess what I'm saying is that brand new pushing the envelope stuff can be very invigorating and challenging, and those can be very good. I would've been over the moon to be in the Theatre du Champs Elysees for the premier of The Rite, riot or no riot. But I can still appreciate less challenging music of that era too...