Recording: The GGS New Music Ensemble

Artist: The GGS New Music Ensemble

Song: Ennea's Domein (2nd mvt) [composer: Robin De Raaff]

Recorded at Temerty Theatre (If:Iff - works for chamber orchestra and electronics), December 14, 2017.

The GGS New Music Ensemble - Ennea's Domein (2nd mvt)

Another night of intriguing works from the New Music Ensemble of the Royal Conservatory's Glenn Gould School, steered by the genial Brian Current. As always, the material was confidently tackled by the younger musicians, enhanced with some familiar faces from the wider New Music community (Darren Creech was on piano throughout, for example).

This concert saw a couple works incorporating live electronic elements: Kotoka Suzuki's "Dreams and Wandering" had some tasty ambient washes (added live by the composer) under parts of the score (a pleasing effect that could have been pushed even further), while James O'Callaghan's "IF:IFF" deployed electroacoustic misdirection in a manner that transcended cheesy over-the-topness with its dedication to dramatic performativity. This piece from Robin De Raaff, meanwhile, didn't use any electronic sounds but still had an algorithmic feeling, thanks to its rigourous three movements with three sections each, with the labour spread out amongst three times three musicians — the piece was "brought you by the number nine," joked De Raaff in his introduction.