A Pressure Triggering Dreams

“A Pressure Triggering Dreams” (1996–1997) is a piece by American composer David Felder (b. 1953) for orchestra and live electroacoustics in the form of electronically processed flute samples fed into a sampler for performance. The electric part is complemented by an electric bass and selective amplification of some instruments.

Conceptually, I have some reservations (i.e., why flute sounds?), but the resulting sound isn't bad, frenetic and high-energy, even if the electronic interventions are only heard in specific places and are sometimes difficult to discern in the orchestral mass.

But perhaps this is exactly what the composer intended. In any case, everyone can form their own opinion. Here are the program notes and the piece.

“The work a pressure triggering dreams was commissioned by the American Composers Orchestra for Carnegie Hall, for a premiere in May 1997 … [It] was to be a work that included electronics. I elected to respond to this request by incorporating a companion ‘orchestra’ consisting entirely of computer-processed flute sounds within the orchestral tapestry and to expand the orchestra by using live sampler keyboard, electric bass, and by selectively amplifying solo instruments. […]

“The title is a rough translation of some remarks made by Friedrich Nietzsche in The Birth of Tragedy (1870-1871) when he is speaking of the effect of Richard Wagner’s musical language upon the listener — this remark characterized my subjective response to the piece I was then composing and therefore serves as a kind of emblem for the composition. A wide variety of materials (extracted from my series of ‘Crossfire’ pieces — soloists, electronics, video, and computer processing of acoustic materials made by the individual musicians) is deliberately compressed in the attempt to create an atmosphere of saturation somehow related to the experience of persistent musical afterimages suggested by Nietzsche’s brilliant observations. […]”

David Felder – a pressure triggering dreams (1996-1997), for orchestra and electronics
Buffalo Festival Orchestra, Harvey Sollberger, conductor

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