Ristic’s “psychogeographic interpretation” of Tannhaüser revisits Wagner’s opera in a double sense: it is both an artistic variation on the original and also the kind of revisiting that takes place in memory. Ristic uses the analogy of mapping a river that one has navigated on a canoe trip: one can either work from satellite photography or try to draft a map based on one’s memories of the experience. Ristic’s piece maps Wagner’s opera to memory and to emotion. As a selective recollection, it has a certain randomness; the notation is almost entirely devoid of specific pitches. Instead, the players read from a page with very specific rhythms and use a reference line to create their own pitch choices. Though this form of notation might seem to invite chaos, the psychogeographic nature of the work allows the performers to create a coherent (though far from conventional) harmonic and melodic language.
Premiere performed by:
André Ristic, piano
Annalee Patipatanakoon, violin
Carol Fujino, violin
Douglas Perry, viola
Roman Borys, cello