TRACK LIST:
1 - 4. PATHWAYS
(flute, cello, sitar, tablas, keyboard, live electronics) 1989 (19:49)

5 - 7. POINTS TRILOGY
(harpsichord, kayagum, live electronics) 1993-1998 (32:00)

8. TIME-SPACE
(baroque flute, harpsichord, live electronics) 2001 (7:53)

Simon Emmerson 'Points and Pathways'

Genre: electroacoustic

This CD is the second of Sargasso's 2-CD set marking Simon Emmerson long-awaited release of his most important works. The first CD 'Spaces and Places' (SCD28055) was released in 2007.

Each of these works creates a new context for non-western and early instruments contrasting and expanding on the acoustic sounds with electronic interactions. 'Pathways', commissioned by the Shiva Nova ensemble for performance in their Almeida Theatre Series 1989, is an interwoven East-meets-West tapestry where the dialogue between the sitar/tablas and the flute/cello is bonded by the electronics.

The 'Points Trilogy' features the Jane Chapman's shimmering harpsichord ('Points of Departure') drifting in and out of its electronic alter-ego which Emmerson describes as "an insect flitting across the surface of an initially still pond which becomes increasingly agitated. The ripples spread from the points of contact while the surface of the water reflects a subtly distorted image". In 'Points of Return' the harpsichord is replaced by Inok Paek's kayagum, a Korean plucked instrument. Again the electronics weave a shifting landscape around the instrument. The brilliant 'Time-Space' for baroque flute, harpsichord and electronics completes this mesmerising album. Emmerson creates a world where feelings are painted in sound. As he puts it: "I look and listen outwardly to create an extended inner space... It is the synthesis of this divide which I seek".

Credits:
'Pathways': Shiva Nova (Nancy Ruffer (flute), Neil Heyde (cello), Clive Williamson (keyboard), Dharambir Singh (sitar), Sarwa Sabri (tablas), Priti Paintal (director), Simon Emmerson (live electronics).

'Points Trilogy': Jane Chapman (harpsichord), Inok Paek (kayagum), Simon Emmerson (live electronics).

'Time-Space': Eleanor Dawson (baroque flute), Jane Chapman (harpsichord), Simon Emmerson (live electronics).

Original recordings made in the studios at City University, London ('Pathways' - July 1993; 'Points of Departure' - September 1998; 'Points of Return' - December 1998) and in the Recording Studio in the Music Department of Keele University, ('Time-Space' - March 2005, assisted by Cliff Bradbury and Stephen Bird). 'Points of Continuation' was composed in the Studios of the IMEB (Bourges), City University, London and the composer's studio.

All tracks mixed and post-produced in the composer's studio and in the Music, Technology and Innovation Research Centre at De Montfort University, Leicester, 2008. Mastered by Dave Blackman at Hiltongrove. The production of this CD has been assisted by a special award from the Research Development Fund of De Montfort University, Leicester.