Permutations ’62

Ellen Burr, flute; Andrew Pask, clarinet

So much for music and visual art not being related. For flutist Ellen Burr’s structured improvisational duo with clarinetist Andrew Pask, she turned to a geometric abstract painting by Mary Martin in order to derive all pitches and durations. And according to her CD booklet notes, all the permutations of this minimalist process music follow the ones in the painting. Unfortunately that painting is not reproduced in the package and my synaesthetic abilities aren’t good enough to figure out what the painting looks like, but the music is nevertheless extremely captivating: I listened to all nine minutes twice, and it seemed like only a few minutes had gone by.

—FJO