First I would like
to say that this is the first time I review a sound piece done by
a musician I don't know personally. This is also the first time
I listen to Kyriakides' work. And I believe strongly in the importance
of understanding (having closeness) to the artist and the work before
drawing complete judgment. So I will not try to judge this piece
but talk about it.
This CD was sent
to me with a sheet of info about the artist, and the booklet itself
also has a lot of useful information. Yannis Kyriakides is from
Cyprus. After living for a period in England he moved to Amsterdam,
where he is based now. His CD "a conSPIracy cantata" is composed
of three pieces. Each of its three parts has a theme idea behind
them. The first one (which titles the CD) is about codes. The second
piece is made by sending a constant signal of sliding sine-tones
into a piano and recording the resulting resonance picked up by
the strings. The third mixes a drum machine to its "fellow rhythm
machines in nature", bugs.
In the first piece,
Kyriakides places the uttering of the ancient oracle of Delphi next
to Spy Numbers Transmissions. The ancient oracle of Delphi was the
cave used to utter prophecies located on the way from the Gulf of
Corinth to Central and Northern Greece, in a region then called
Pytho. Young women of Delphi, having purified themselves in the
water of the Kastalian Fountain, bent over the Sacred Stone, ate
a laurel leaf and, inhaling the vapors emitted from the chasm, entered
a state of ecstasy, uttering incoherent words. These were then composed
into verses by the Priest, while the interpreters endeavored to
render some meaning out of the prophecy. "Spy Numbers Transmissions"
are a short-wave oddity which have been around since the mid 20th
century. They are commonly heard in English, German, Spanish and
the Slavic languages and take the form of four and five digit groups
of numbers which are preceded by a three digit "identifier" and
a group count" which corresponds to the number of number groups
transmitted in the crypt. The "who" and "why" aspects of these transmissions
are, for the most part, unknown. Their mysterious nature has resulted
in their common characterization as 'spy' transmissions. The spy
theory has been enhanced over the years by the FCC's inconsistent
position in response to numerous inquiries by the Short-wave Listening
community.
So, both ways of
communicating that Kyriakides has chosen are codes that cannot be
easily broken. Since the uttering of the oracle of Delphi was read
to the likeness of the person in charge at that time and the spy
number transmissions are mostly a mystery, this communication is
mythical. Both are codes that walk the lines of reality and fantasy.
Just like politics, I guess. The CD suggests a relationship between
both codes because both of them were used during war. The CD says
the uttering "where susceptible to corruption and manipulation ...encouraging
him (Peisistratos)in his successful attempt to seize Athens and
establish his third tyranny" and the Numbers Transitions are thought
to have been used by spies in the Cold War. So it suggests code
can be used to manipulate or to contain information. Either way
it seems to me that he is talking about the desire of humans to
use language as a tool to their advantage.
The CD is also
probably trying to make connections between religion and politics.
A number of sacred wars took place for the control of the oracle,
as the cold war dealt with the control of space. Both the spy transmissions
and the Delphi oracle are keys for the control of the world. This
connection between old and new, past, present and future is there
throughout the CD. The two other pieces juxtaposed acoustics with
electronics, nature vs. electronics. I am not suggesting religion,
insects and singing shows the past and electronics the future: I
hope not! But I guess they are older, just like the Oracle of Delphi
is older than the radio.
Ok, and here is
my slightly judgmental part, which you may overlook:
Voice, piano and
electronics feel beautiful together, ancient traditions are puzzling
next to electronics, and nature is noise, but I would like to be
reassured that Kyriakides' choices were really special for him.
Because the CD (without booklet) sounds to me like very formal experimentation.
The sounds are often pretty, scary around the edges, and sometimes
really beautiful and strange, but overall, a formalism seems to
take hold. Also
Kyriakides often goes for high drama, I don't have a taste for theatrical
gestures, so I don't appreciate that.
The CD is composed
of uttered singing, sampling of radio transmissions, electronic
improvisations, a few beats, piano and field recordings. It is a
CD that it is not afraid to be overtly arty, and there is something
to be said about that. It has some interesting thought behind it:
it is not afraid of making a statement. But Kyriakides is an artist
that takes himself too serious: he knows he is making ART . Serious
art has its place. I guess it is a nice contrast to have high sounding
concepts next to vague sounds , but overall I think the sounds follow
too many rules of electro acoustic improvisation to be as refreshing
as the ideas could be.