TRACK LIST:
1. WAKA (21:16)
for percussion and ensemble
2. ...AS IT FLIES... (13:20)
for 8-channel tape
2. NOWHERE (14:31)
for clarinet, piano and electronics
all world-premiere recordings

John Palmer 'Waka'

Genre: modern & avant-garde

These three compositions are all concerned by metric and perceptive correlation between musical and literary forms. John Palmer asks: "Can music be perceived as poetry? Can sounds, as doors of perception, emulate, equal, or even surpass the evocative imagery of verbal description?"

'Waka' explores Japanese literary metric forms and applies them to the musical structures. By contrast, '...As It Flies...' which is dedicated to the late composer Luc Ferrari, uses as its only sound source the words of William Blake's 'Eternity' poem. Finally, 'Nowhere' is inspired by a poem written by Palmer himself.

As always, Palmer's strength lies in his seamless blending of acoustic and electronic sounds to create subtle psycho-acoustic effects, blurring the listener's senses. Also, his on-going methodical quest for the mystical 'truth' of sound itself makes him one of the few serious spiritual composers of our time.

Credits:
WAKA (1999)
Recorded and produced at the ZKM, Karlsruhe
Performers: Ensemble Omega, Youngcher Park (percussion), Alejo Perez (conductor)

...AS IT FLIES... (2001)
Produced at Vision Studio, London-Stuttgart by John Palmer

NOWHERE (1993, rev. 2005)
Recorded at ZKM, Karlsruhe
Performers: Moira Muschalla (piano), Zoltan Kovacs (clarinet), John Palmer (electronics)
Produced by John Palmer