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Sharp Splinter

by Terri Hron

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AhojAhoj 11:48
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about

In 2008, my maternal grandfather, the Czech poet Jan Vladislav, passed away, leaving me his collection of family heirlooms. There were letters dating back one hundred years, cassette-tapes sent and received from my parents (who emigrated to Canada during the Cold War), including an extensive collection of photographs and a couple of films. This archive prompted me to gather as much of our family material – also from my father’s side – as possible. I began to envision a project that would use the collection in a musical performance. Sharp Splinter is this project: a program of new works for instruments and electronics using my family’s letters, cassettes and films.

During the Cold War, my parents exchanged and incredible number of letters, audio cassettes and films with their family behind the Iron Curtain in Czechoslovakia. A few years ago, I gathered all of this material together and started to sort through all of these treasures. I was very moved and touched by all of these stories that I had missed knowing. The audio cassettes on which they recorded what was going on in their lives, so that they could hear each others’ voices, are some of the most special items. It is these that are featured in AhojAhoj. Almost all of the excerpts I’ve chosen are hellos and goodbyes (both Ahoj! in Czech), as well as a longer passage by my grandmother – surprisingly in English – where she puts it just right: “When we hear your voices, so near, we imagine you are here in the next room.” Most of these people have now passed away, but the power of their voices was very surprising to me. AhojAhoj is written for Luciane Cardassi. I was inspired to use a fixed medium for the electronics by Luciane’s incredible talent for synchronicity. The piano is also amplified. Other than the voices and piano resonances, the other sounds come from a tape deck, whose sound was inseparable from the experience of making and listening to these cassettes from the 1960s to 1980s.

“Savoir, autre savoir ici, pas Savoir, pour renseignements. Savoir, pour devenir musicienne de la Verité.” Henri Michaux, Face aux Verrous, 1954.
“J’aime mon travail d’un amour frénétique et perverti, comme un ascète le cilice qui lui gratte le ventre.” Gustave Flaubert, lettre à Louise Colet, 1852.
Love Song for MAD is all about writing and letters. Since each part of Sharp Splinter uses the sound of some antiquated technology used to create part of the archive, here I focused on the typewriter. The wonderful violinist, Andréa Tyniec, was my collaborator on this project. When we met for the first time to discuss the piece, I asked her to bring something for me to record so that I would have her sound in my head as I started working. She brought Ysayë’s Sonata No.2 for solo violin. This piece and her playing of it became a key feature in my decisions. Finally, the piece is about and dedicated to the force of nature that is my sister, Madelaine Hron. Her voice, in exchanges with my mother and father, recorded around the time that I was born, is featured as well.

Malý velký Svet (Small big World) was written for Luciane Cardassi, Rosabel Choi and Katherine Dowling. I met each of these pianists at the Banff Centre during my residencies there, and was struck by their individual approaches and sound in performing contemporary repertoire. In my desire to write pieces for specific individuals, I enjoyed the challenge of writing a piece that features three individuals on the same instrument. They took turns being the soloist, and their solos emphasize their particular approach to the instrument. The piece revolves around childhood and games, as well as the playful ways children use and learn to play the piano. There are musical allusions to and quotations of Robert Schumann’s Waldszenen, Franz Liszt’s Sonata in B Minor, Alban Berg’s Piano Sonata Opus 1, Béla Bartók’s For Children, Francis Dhomont’s Forêt Profonde, and Linda Catlin Smith’s Thought and Desire. I also quote all three pianists, whose improvisations I often used verbatim in parts of the piece. This piece is dedicated to my father, Franta.

credits

released October 11, 2018

Terri Hron: compositions, electronics and mixing

Luciane Cardassi, piano (AhojAhoj and Malý velký Svet)
Andréa Tyniec, violin (Love Song for MAD)
Rosabel Choi, piano (Malý velký Svet)
Katherine Dowling, piano (Malý velký Svet)
Ronelle Schaufele, piano (Malý velký Svet)

Amandine Pras, recording and mixing
Arf Productions, mastering

Recorded at the Conservatoire de Montréal on October 10, 2013

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Terri Hron Montreal, Québec

Terri Hron is a musician, a performer and a multimedia artist. Her work explores historical performance practice, field recording, invented ceramic instruments and videoscores. She often works in close collaboration with others. Besides composing and performing works for and with others, she produces performances, gatherings and events. ... more

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