Logan Larson
Logan Larson x University of Kansas Symphonic Band - Forgotten Faces (Live Premiere)
Forgotten Faces is a four movement work by Logan Larson for Concert Band, Fixed Media, and Visuals. This video is the live premiere by the University of Kansas Symphonic Band conducted by Dr. Matthew O. Smith. Forgotten Faces was commissioned by the University of Kansas Symphonic Band and the score and parts can be purchased via Murphy Music Press.
http://murphymusicpress.com/search?query=logan+larson
This work is written in the New Wave Classical Art Music style, a subgenre of classical music that Dr. Larson created. More information on the genre and his other works can be found on his website.
Website:
https://www.loganlarson.com
Lyric Visuals by Zekno
IG: @Zek.no
The inspiration for this work derived from the theory that the human brain can only create people in dreams the person has already seen. This information fueled my thought process of the people a dreamer encounters. Many dreams include people who the dreamer does not know, and at times the unknown person contributes a large role to the overall dream. The notion of developing these unknown characters led to my decision to create four movements that tell four unique stories.
Aural indicators in the music produce a certain image of a character, but in order to further guide the audience, I have included a secondary title for each movement. I crafted each title to provide a small aspect of the character’s gender, or absence of gender, followed by a description of a piece of attire or a place. For instance, in “Space Bound (The People In Astronaut Suits),” the number of people, along with their height, weight, age, ethnicity, gender, etc. are all determined in the mind of the listener.
The fixed media in each movement focuses on one or more subgenres of EDM. Movement I has elements of Dubstep and Future Riddim/Melodic Riddim. Movement II is a combination of Funk music and Dubstep called Funkstep. Movement III pays homage to Dubstep and Future Riddim/Melodic Riddim, and Movement IV is loosely derived from the genre of Mid Tempo Bass.
Movement I: Let Me Tell You A Story (The Children In Their Beds)
The theory of dreams states that while the human brain cannot imagine new faces, it can realistically create non-human images. This idea is explored as non-human characters are developed through text portrayed by voice actor and operatic tenor Wesley Frye. The movement overall mimics a parent reading to a child and acting out a story. I commissioned and collaborated on the text with author Sarah Eral. The storyline occurs in the mythical land of Aeribeth where dragons reign over cities. The main character, Blue, is a dragon without an item to hoard. With the help of the Ambassador of Aeribeth, they travel to three other towns to discover the items the other dragons hoard. All the dragons have easily identifiable sounds for their hoard. The first dragon, Purple, hoards gems and gold, which is conveyed by the jingling of coins. The second dragon, Green, hoards food and is aurally represented by medieval kitchen sounds such as the bubbling of a caldron. The third dragon, Red, enjoys weapons of destruction, and their hoard is represented by the sounds of swords and axes hitting an object. After experiencing the hoards of the other dragons, Blue decides they enjoy knowledge and stories. This is conveyed through the sounds of flipping pages and slamming of books. The first three dragons chorus sections are all written in the Dubstep genre but Blue’s chorus section differs and is written in the Future Riddim/Melodic Riddim style.
Movement II: That’s One Powerful Woman (The Lady In Heels)
Funkstep, the combination of Funk and Dubstep, is the inspiration for Movement II. For this movement, the samples of heels clacking, Dubstep drum rhythms, shredding guitar lines, and funk inspired synth pads are heard. The heels sample is the underlying beat for the entire movement. The consistent heels convey that the powerful woman alluded to will never stop because she does not have any weaknesses.
Movement III: Space Bound (The People In Astronaut Suits)
This movement pays homage to the genre of Dubstep and Future Riddim/Melodic Riddim. This piece aurally represents the beauty, calmness, and wonder of space mixed with the terrifying, powerful, and destructive nature of the universe.
Movement IV: Hazmatic Hyperdrive (The Man In A Hard Hat)
The Mid Tempo Bass genre is explored in the fourth movement. The formal structure of the movement mimics an EDM DJ set where high musical tension is maintained for a majority of the work. This musical intensity is meant to overwhelm the audience and resembles the loud noises of a construction site. The harmonic structure of the piece is largely inspired by Laurie Anderson’s “O Superman” where she uses two chords for the entirety of the work. This back-and-forth chordal structure informed the two-note pitch material heard in the fixed media for large sections of this movement.
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