Tod Machover - Spectres: Music For Large Ensemble And Computer Sounds (1986)

Two works by Tod Machover (b. 1953, NY) dating from 1984, during his period at IRCAM in Paris.  Although the album title might be expected to refer to all its contents, only one of these is for ensemble and computer - first up is Nature's Breath, purely for orchestra.  Named after a Taoist saying about the force of wind producing other sounds in nature, it's an enchanting piece that concerns itself with "unity between diverse materials", and centres on a long, unfolding melody line whilst the three main sections respectively explore harmony, timbre and rhythm.

Spectres Parisiens is even more engrossing, played by the ASKO Ensemble conducted by Peter Eötvös against Machover's taped part from IRCAM, realised on the 4X digital synth.  Machover doesn't go as far as calling this spectral music, but it definitely touches on some of the techniques used by the French spectralists.  Again, Machover is interested in "many diverse elements [which] are accumulated and eventually unified", apparently a driving force in his overall musical thinking.  As trailered in the bio note for this CD, his next project was an opera based on Philip K. Dick's VALIS - must get hold of that sometime.

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