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Richard Chartier, "Recurrence"
Chartier's work is never something that could be considered "easy" to listen to, but the result is always a rich, rewarding experience. Recurrence, which is a project that was splintered off of one of his earliest works Series, follows this trend. It might be difficult at times, but he has consistently excelled in creating work that captures the intersection of music, visual art, architecture, and science, and again, Recurrence is no different.
Made up of two distinct, but related pieces, the 21 minute opener "Recurrence (Room/Crosstones)" is by far the more Spartan and minimalist of the two, even in relative terms.For most of its duration it is a repetitive, low-end hum that mostly maintains a consistent pitch, but the shape and dynamics exhibit subtle changes throughout, eventually transitioning into the higher registers of the sound spectrum.While it seems rather static overall, played on a decent sound system with good bass response results in a more physical, and captivating experience.
The other piece, "Recurrence (Series)," clocks in at 51 minutes, and while it is mostly constructed upon the same slowly evolving tonal throb, there is a significantly greater amount of development and variation to be had.This becomes apparent from the onset, where higher pitched, shimmering waves of sound expand outward, disrupted by the occasional reverberated click or pop that adds a bit of organic to the clinical sound manipulation.
Rather than emphasizing only tonal variations, Chartier includes passages of what resembles the amplified hum of everyday electronic gear, bits of white noise, and other unidentifiable textures.His use of these fragmented, but idiosyncratic sounds—like roaring waves of static into what sounds like a swarm of alien locusts—call to mind an approach to sound art similar to that of Robert Hampson, albeit with a more minimalist bent, and I mean that as serious compliment.
While Recurrence was intended as pieces for performance and multi-channel installation, they work quite well coming off of a CD through a standard home stereo system.Even in that comparatively basic environment, his use of tone and texture still creates a tangible sense of space that stretches far beyond audible perception.
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