SUN Kevin Austin

Layer one of a projected multi-layer synthesized piece. Sun is a simple analog glissando of (in effect) 128 oscillators descending over 5 octaves in 40 minutes.

The other projected layers, possibly still in progress of composition and photography include clouds, rocks, water and birds: the original version has 400 photographic slides in an accompaniment, pictures of a handful of sunsets that were enlarged and color corrected through as many as 5 generations. The slides were projected by four projectors, cross-fading in pairs, onto a single screen.

Sun has been performed with live electronics out of doors, accompanied by the real thing, and a score, parts and notes do exist.

Tape defects are audible throughout. Composed in my home studio with an Aries modular analog synthesizer and a TEAC 80-8 1/2” 8-channel tape recorder. The piece needs to be remastered and cleaned up.

It is dedicated to Seagull and (the late) John Wells.

The piece also exists as NUS … when played backwards.

  • Year of composition: 1983
  • Format: Mixed work
  • Instrumentation: for live and tape
  • Duration of the submitted work: 39:43
  • Production: MetaMusiQuébec Son (Montréal, Québec)

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