Ring Triptych
“Ring Triptych is an electronic/acoustic composition by French composer Benoit Albert that was inspired by the contemporary artwork of British painter Paul Storey. Conceived as collaborative fusion of music, art and dance, Ring Triptych was premiered in the church of the Jacobins in Agen, France in May of 2008. A complete studio recording of the work is presented here for the first time.”
To best display graphics of the three paintings this work is based on, the Ring Triptych CD is packaged in a high gloss, UV protected, 6 panel, DVD sized case with program and background notes.
Program
Siegfried suite
Siegfried suite
ErdaTale from the “Nibelungenlied” music, Benoît ALBERT – paintings, Paul STOREY
The circumstances surrounding this unique recording are a fascinating tale of friendship, creativity and collaboration.
At the time of their first meeting, during the Fall of 2006, British painter Paul Storey was working on a series of canvasses based on Richard Wagner’s opera: Der Ring des Nibelungen. Guitarist/composer Benoit Albert was visiting Storey’s country studio as his guitar instructor and was invited to view some of the work in progress. “He showed me these paintings and I was simply amazed by the power, beauty, and large scale of the work.”
Over time the painting collection continued to grow and as word spread of these remarkable creations Storey was asked to organize an exhibition of his work by the Cultural Center in Agen. The exhibition to be staged in Notre Dame des Jacobins church. A landmark of Agen, built in 1249, Jacobins church is one of the few remaining examples of Dominican architecture in France.
Frequent visits between the two artists continued and this lead to an inspired creation. Albert recalls; “As Paul and I had become fast friends, spending endless hours discussing guitar music and painting, the inspiration to combine Paul’s work with my own became irresistible”. A plan to work together for the upcoming exhibit took shape and Storey created three specific paintings; Erda, Death of Siegfried and A brief moment of consciousness to be displayed during a live performance to commemorate the opening.
Insights – Ring Triptych
The recorded version of Ring Triptych presented here is structured in five parts. Erda, the opening segment is electronic, followed by three movements of Siegfried Suite, solo guitar. The central section In vacuo, is electronic, followed by the remaining three movements of Siegfried Suite. The final section A brief moment of consciousness is electronic.
Electronic sections of Ring Triptych, expansive and enigmatic, represent the overall mystery of the legend, while the more personal and tangible sounds of solo guitar depict the varied psychological states the hero Siegfried experiences through his telluric journey. Albert recalls beginning the work; “The challenge I faced was to create a large scale work for the opening that could express the subtle nature of Paul’s paintings through music. To do this I needed to make a clear contrast between the legend and the main character Siegfried. I chose two media; solo classical guitar for Siegfried, and electronic music for the mythical characters and events. It was never my intention to meld these two together, but to juxtapose them to express the differing psychological perspectives expressed in the paintings.”
The electronic music was conceived, elaborated on, and expanded throughout the compositional process. It combines sampling of both “real” and computer generated sounds. Albert remarked that; “The real sounds were processed from passages in the guitar suite, a Tibetan bowl, an aluminum wok cover, wedding rings, my own voice, and several other objects from my house and studio.”
The guitar section, the central structure of the work, is based on a suite of 6 movements, with each movement representing Siegfried’s states throughout the tale. The opening Prelude is Siegfried as a pilgrim, the Allemande is Siegfried as idyll, Courante is Hagen’s betrayal that leads to the murder of Siegfried, a mournful Sarabande is Siegfried’s funeral, Danses de l’étrange is a depiction the Norns while they rule on the fate of Siegfried’s afterlife, and the final Gigue is Siegfried’s deliverance in Valhalla.
Albert sums up Ring Triptych this way; “Musically I perceive this work as a large arc that converts space into time. The music’s duration follows the physical dimensions of the paintings as one views them. Through this viewing/listening one traverses the ascension from within the earth (represented by Erda) to heaven (represented by Wotan), by passing through its surface where humanity resides. Humanities travail personified by Siegfried’s experiences.”
The premiere of Ring Triptych took place in the side chapel of the church of the Jacobins on the 23rd of May 2008. The concert for the official opening involved a multi-media performance of the recorded electronic music, including contemporary dance by Laurène Albert during “in vacuo”, and a live performance of the guitar suite. On stage, facing the audience, were the three paintings.
Paysage Hypothétique
Siegfried Suite has been released as a stand alone work on Albert’s previous Clear Note recording Paysage Hypothétique.
The suite’s structure, a fusion of influences by British composers from the 20th century, French impressionists, and eastern popular music, follows a classic Baroque dance suite form and is well-suited for developing Siegfried’s scenario within the larger work, but it also makes an excellent addition to the eclectic style Albert displays on this earlier release.
Sheet music for Siegfried Suite is availble through Clear Note Publications.
Program Notes – Karl Wolff
