Mutatis Mutandis

The third in a series of four CDs containing the complete works of Herbert Brun, one of the remarkable musical personalities of the 20th century. This CD contains Brun's compositions for solo instruments and ensembles.

The compositions include 'Gestures for Eleven' (1964), described by Brun as "numerous brief events and small gestures, passing fragments apparently without consequence or elaboration ..."; 'Trio for trumpet, trombone,and percussion' (1966), in Brun's words a "gesture of intolerance"; 'The Laughing Third' (1995), a piano etude in which simple melodic scales are subjected to various transformations, suggesting alternatives in logic; 'String Quartet #3' (1963), based on non-sequiturs and surprising events; 'Sonatina for bassoon alone' (1953), the earliest work on this CD; '"at loose ends:"' (1974), a virtuoso exploration of percussion timbres; and 'Nonet' (1969), which approaches the instrumentalists as participants engaging in group dynamics.

Brun's best-known work of this group is 'mutatis mutandis 7' (1968-87), composed and performed by flutist Lesley Olson, "structurally analogous to one of Herbert Brun's computer generated graphics...." Brun described it as one of a series of "compositions for interpreters ... ink graphics drawn by a plotter under control of a computer programmed by the composer ... the interpreter is invited to begin contemplating a graphic as traces left by a process which moved a pen in various directions across the plane. This process has been composed by the compose ... The interpreter is not asked to improvise. The interpreter is asked not to improvise. The interpreter is asked to compose."