tautological responses to systemic redundancies (2021)

for alto saxophone and string quartet

chippewa charuest: composition. improvisation. notation. project.

tautological responses to systemic redundancies is the first in a series of four works composed for and with the collaboration of Montréal-based improvising saxophonist Yves Charuest.

This collaboration between a new music composer and an improvising musician is motivated by a common desire to draw on 25 years of friendship and musical exchange — coloured by experiences anchored in the new / electroacoustic music and improvisation / jazz scenes, respectively — to exploit and even exacerbate the creative tensions arising in the convergence of North American and European musical traditions, composed and improvised music, precise and vague or even absent notation.

In this project, chippewa’s compositional process is based on, makes use of and amplifies Charuest’s performance idiosyncracies, habits and skills. The saxophonist’s central role is complemented with small chamber formations whose parts feature fully notated music and adaptive notation, whereas Charuest’s part comprises adaptive notation and free improvisation.

The works in this collaborative project position the saxophonist and chamber musicians in a symbiotically responsive musical context that capitalizes on the inevitably fluid interpretation of an implicit notational instability. While all the musicians interpret and propose individual variations of their adaptive notation, Charuest is also often invited to not only respond freely and intuitively to the unfurling and interweaving interpretation of the adaptive and composed (or to varying degrees predetermined) notational materials, but also to contribute materials of his own invention.

video 1 (20:46). studio recording of jef chippewa’s tautological responses to systemic redundancies in the oscar peterson hall (concordia university, montréal) in february 2023.  with yves charuest (alto saxophone), lyne allard and céline arcand (vns), jean rené (va) and émilie girard-charest (vc).  mark corwin (recording producer, digital editing and mixing), xavier madore (videographer) and farid kassouf (montage).

score excerpts

click on the images below to view excerpts of the score, or download the entire score (there are no parts) from the menu at the top-right.

chippewa — excerpt from “tautological responses to systemic redundancies”

transition from the “trio” section into “follow the leader”, from jef chippewa’s tautological responses to systemic redundancies.

chippewa — excerpt from “tautological responses to systemic redundancies”

“roshambo”, the closing section of jef chippewa’s tautological responses to systemic redundancies.

chippewa-charuest: a project comprising four works

tautological responses to systemic redundancies was commissioned by commissioned by yves charuest with the support of the canada council for the arts.

performance information and history

for information on obtaining high-quality printed performance materials, contact the composer.

  • [210523] yves charuest + quatuor bozzini | PREMIÈRE 37th festival international musique actuelle victoriaville (canada)
  • [230221] yves charuest + lyne allard, céline arcand, jean rené, émilie girard-charest — la chapelle saint-louis, montréal (canada)

editions of the score and parts:
2021-05 — premiere version
2022-10 — revised version

 

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