DESCRIPTION:
Damon Smith & Thomas Helton - double basses
9/24/10, Cy Twombly Annex (Renzo Piano, Architect), Houston, Texas.
http://www.balancepointacoustics.com
http://www.thomashelton.com
http://www.menil.org/collection/CyTwo...
http://cytwombly.info
http://rpbw.r.ui-pro.com/

Six collages to Cy Twombly for two double basses
Performance Notes:

The primary concept behind these scores is simply to generate contemporary work out of great works from the past and to work across art forms with similar ideas.
Which is very much in line with Twombly's practice.

The collages contain a brass ensemble reduction of one of Twombly's favorite works, Händel's "Water Music", referencing both classical double bassists often having to resort to transcriptions to engage with great music as well Twombly himself working from various translations of ancient texts to generate paintings.
As well as poems from three of his favorite poets: Catullus, Rilke & Pessoa.
They also contain plates from a small Braque book (who has a neighboring ceiling work to Twombly's in the Louvre), as well as my own graphite lines (often "crossing out" notes or text), gouache marks & photos from the Mediterranean world and one from Oakland, California

Just as the graphite lines can be read as pure music, both the poems and written music can read as gestural or just as importantly any of the material can be read silently by the performers to create "active" silences between their own material.
The pitches from Water Music could also be combined with the gestures of the graphic material.

The scores can be played in any order or any direction and can be used as self-contained compositions or as a framework for improvisational material.

Damon Smith 8/2010