Steve Roden - "Speak no more about the leaves"

Label: Sirr
Year: 2003

This cd contains 3 pieces inspired by Arnold Schönberg's 'The Book of the Hanging Gardens' and in particular the poems by Stefan George that Schönberg used as lyrics. Track one uses Steve Roden's voice reading/singing part of the text as the only sound material. Track two uses the vowel structure from the text as a score for striking five tones on a small chime. Track three uses samples from the Schönberg work as well as Roden's voice singing the same text as track one.

"speak no more about the leaves thieved by the wind nor about ripebursting quinces nor the tread of winter's vandals down the year nor the trembling of the dragonflies when rain falls nor the candles flickering in the fickle air."

Steve Roden is a visual/sound artist from Los Angeles. His work, including painting, drawing, sculpture, film/video, and sound, combines conceptual strategies and intuitive movements; found structures and systems lifted from their original intentions and used as the basis for improvisation and abstraction.


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