City of Coventry Brass will give the world premiere of ‘Cantus Infirmus for Brass Band and Tape’ by composer Christopher Evans at the International Music Symposium (INTIME) to be held at Coventry University next month.

Computer

The experimental work features a brass band with a live surround-sound computer music system.

The composer is a highly respected percussionist and conductor, currently researching a PhD in composition with brass bands and electro-acoustic music.

"This is my first large-scale experimental work for band," he told 4BR.

"The ‘prepared’ side of things is based on fragments of a piano being tuned and the band music is based on my love of medieval song and some of the more strange medieval concepts about music theory."

Mixes

He added: "The work is nearly 8 minutes long and mixes the piano ‘tape’ (28 tracks played back by computer into an 8.1 surround system) with live sound from the band together with church-like echoes and reverberations as well as some of the sound being processed into long drones."

Chris believes the work will give the listener a unique experience.

"The perception of space is important, with the sounds moving around the multiple speaker array as if the listener were walking amongst the players.

This will be a unique experience for the many composers at the Symposium and I’m hoping that this will be an enjoyable introduction for players to working with experimental music whilst retaining a genuine brass band feeling."

The perception of space is important, with the sounds moving around the multiple speaker array as if the listener were walking amongst the playersComposer Christopher Evans

Excited MD

Conductor Stephen Cooper is certainly looking forward to being a part of the premiere.

He told 4BR: "It’s a nerve-wracking way to perform, with speakers all around and with the sound effects from the band moving around the room.

The piece is made up of a piano piece being played back by the computer and the band plays live with effects like reverb and echo being played into the room live."

Virtuosic

He added: "It doesn’t look too hard on the score but the tempo changes nearly every bar and synchronising the band with the computer is very hard. There is a virtuosic section which is almost unplayable but, apparently, that’s the idea!"

The band opens the INTIME Saturday evening concert on the 19th of October at the Ellen Terry building, Coventry University, Jordan Wells, Coventry.