Sounds, objects, settings

The Assembled
Sunday 15 May
12pm
Rymer Auditorium, University of York

This performance interweaves some of Trevor Wishart’s early tape pieces with performances from his contemporaneous Found Suite, a set of images for interpretation by musicians, compiled in 1974. The innovative electroacoustic pieces, composed in the period 1969-1977 include his first electronic composition, Study 1 (1969-1970), Journey into Space (1972), Fanfare and Contrapunctus (1976), and selected pieces from Menagerie (1977). As suggested by the title, the images of Found Suite were collected (‘found’), rather than created from scratch: some are photos of scenes or sets of objects, while others are collages of patterned or textured materials. Some appear almost abstract, presented so as to emphasise shapes and forms, while others include bizarre collections of recognisable items. Collectively, they offer all sorts of possibilities for musical response. Included in Wishart’s instructions for interpretation is the possibility to add to new images to the Suite: we’re including some of our own. Wishart thinks that Found Suite has never yet been performed; this performance, by The Assembled, might therefore be the premiere, almost fifty years late.