Alex Shapiro : Liquid Compass

Continuing in the tradition of her innovative electroacoustic band works including Paper Cut Immersion and Tight Squeeze Alex Shapiro's Liquid Compass takes the musicians and the audience on a journey that spans the mystical and the triumphant. A subliminal connection to the sea is conveyed through the creative use of metal bowls filled with water and flutists will particularly enjoy the otherworldly “ooh-wah” effect that wends through the piece. Commemorating¦the 140th anniversary of Carthage College's wind band this work¦migrates to different places but never loses its bearings in pursuit of a musical true north.To perform thepiece you'll need an audio system capable of playing the prerecorded audio tracks from a laptop computer via a small digital audio interface connected to an audio mixer. Download information is provided in the printed piece. Dur: 9:00

Evocative train sounds allow listeners' own trains of thought to wander freely, in this emotionally captivating electroacoustic tone poem. As with other signature Shapiro works like Immersion and Liquid Compass, an expansive palette of shifting textures and density creates striking, unexpected contrasts. A remarkably seamless wash of acoustic and digital sounds offers new meaning to the term prerecorded track, as the piece picks up steam and arrives at a forceful, abrupt end. To perform the piece, you'll need an audio system capable of playing the prerecorded audio tracks from a laptop computer via a small digital audio interface connected to an audio mixer. Download information is provided in the score. Dur: 7:15