Music from the Ether: Original Works for Theremin

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
The theremin may be one of the oddest instruments ever invented: the electronic device's high-pitched sound resembles no other--and you never even touch it to play it. It's become familiar from that novel Beach Boys solo on "Good Vibrations" and the occasional sci-fi score sound bite, but it's seldom thought of as the serious instrument its inventor Leon Theremin wanted it to be. This recording, like the must-have Clara Rockmore disc, The Art of the Theremin, attempts to change that. Lydia Kavina might very well be the best thereminist playing today; she's the inventor's last protégée (as well as being the granddaughter of his cousin) and her range on the instrument is unparalleled. Here, she tackles the body of work made specifically for the instrument from the likes of Joseph Schillinger, Bohuslav Martinu, Percy Grainger, Isidor Achron, and a handful of contemporary composers. Grainger's "Free Music #1" for four theremins eerily defies the bounds of written composition (Kavina plays all four theremin roles); Kavina's own Suite is an impressive showpiece of the instrument's range; and Vladimir Komarov's tape-and-theremin piece "Voice of Theremin" is built entirely of passages from the instrument and the voice of Theremin himself, all processed through a computer with stunning results. Martinu's Fantasia for Theremin, Oboe, Piano, and Strings is the disc's real charm: a 14-minute composition with plenty of oboe-theremin interplay and lovely string passages from the Portland String Quartet. For the classical fan who has everything, this disc may be the perfect gift. --Jason Verlinde

Album Description
As her hands dance around the instrument's antennas, Lydia Kavina proves the theremin is no mere producer of Hollywood sound effects. Russian theremin virtuoso Kavina presents the first release EVER dedicated solely to original compositions for the instrument - spanning the "golden age" of the theremin from its invention in the 1920s to contemporary works. One of the first attempts to unite music and scientific technology in the 20th century, the theremin is considered to be the ancestor of modern electronic musical instruments. Its evolution from scientific curiosity (discussed in scientific journals and manufactured by RCA) to virtuoso classical instrument (played by Clara Rockmore in Carnegie Hall) to "instrument of the future" (according to Cage, Varse, Grainger and others) to Hollywood sound effect (played in soundtracks to Spellbound, The Day the Earth Stood Still, The Lost Weekend, etc.) to rock-and-roll instrument (used by The Beach Boys, Led Zeppelin, Phish, Portishead and others) has been well documented. This disc is full of discoveries, including Martinu's Fantasia, and Percy Grainger's graphically notated Free Music #1 (1935) for 4 theremins, along with other "period" works by Schillinger (known for his writings on music and as a guru to composers from Gershwin to Earle Brown) and Isidor Achron (the accompanist to Heifetz). Modern works are represented by Kavina herself, Brazilian Jorge Antunes (with electronic tape) and Russian Vladimir Komarov, whose work also incorporates the inventor's voice and a rendition of Glinka's infamous The Lark, which Theremin had performed for Lenin to demonstrate the instrument. Lydia Kavina is the world's leading thereminist today. The granddaughter of Leon Theremin's first cousin, she was the inventor's last protŽgŽe. She began studying the instrument with him at the age of nine, and was concertizing by age fourteen. Since then, Kavina has given over 500 performances. She has also appeared in Howard Shore's soundtracks to eXistenZ and the Oscar-winning movie Ed Wood, and has performed in the Tom Waits/Robert Wilson collaborations Alice and The Black Rider. Kavina now serves on the lecture staff of The Glinka Museum and is affiliated with the Theremin Center, both in Moscow.

Music from the Ether: Original Works for Theremin, Music, Isidor Achron, Jorge Antunes, Percy Grainger, Lydia Kavina, Vladimir Komarov, Bohuslav Martinu, Joseph Schillinger, Friedrich Wilckens, Joshua Pierce, Elizabeth Parcells, Joshua Pierce, Elizabeth Parcells, Carol Eaton Elowe, Kristen Fox, Chamber, Chamber Music & Recitals, Classical, Classical Artists, Classical Music, Electronic/Avant-Garde/Minimalist Music, Miscellaneous, Miscellaneous Music, Mixed Chamber Ensemble with Keyboard, Music for Assorted/Unusual Instrumentation, Vocal, Vocal Music

Music from the Ether: Original Works for Theremin
Average customer rating:

good (but not great) vibrations...

The theremin continues!

Too weird

Sensitive and expressionistic

Theremin as an instrument, not a curiosity

Music from the Ether: Original Works for Theremin
Joshua Pierce , Elizabeth Parcells , Carol Eaton Elowe , and Kristen Fox
Manufacturer: Mode
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

All Works by Grainger | Grainger, Percy Aldridge | ( G ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
All Works by Martinu | Martinu, Bohuslav | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
Electronic | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music | Computer
General | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

The Art Of The Theremin

Lost Theremin Album

Theremin - An Electronic Odyssey

Dr. Samuel J. Hoffman and the Theremin

Waves in the Ether: The Magical World of the Theremin

ASIN: B00000J8RP
Release Date: 1999-06-22

Tracks:

Joseph Schillinger: Melody
Joseph Schillinger: Mouvement lectrique et pathtique
Friedrich Wilckens: Dance in the Moon
Percy Grainger: Free Music #1 for four theremins
Bohuslav Martinu: Fantasia
Isidor Achron: Improvisation
Lydia Kavina: Suite - 1. Andante
Lydia Kavina: Suite - 2. Moderato
Lydia Kavina: Suite - 3. Lento
Lydia Kavina: In Whims of the Wind
Jorge Antunes: Mixolydia Jorge Antunes
Vladimir Komarov: Voice of Theremin

Amazon.com

The theremin may be one of the oddest instruments ever invented: the electronic device's high-pitched sound resembles no other--and you never even touch it to play it. It's become familiar from that novel Beach Boys solo on "Good Vibrations" and the occasional sci-fi score sound bite, but it's seldom thought of as the serious instrument its inventor Leon Theremin wanted it to be. This recording, like the must-have Clara Rockmore disc, The Art of the Theremin, attempts to change that. Lydia Kavina might very well be the best thereminist playing today; she's the inventor's last protégée (as well as being the granddaughter of his cousin) and her range on the instrument is unparalleled. Here, she tackles the body of work made specifically for the instrument from the likes of Joseph Schillinger, Bohuslav Martinu, Percy Grainger, Isidor Achron, and a handful of contemporary composers. Grainger's "Free Music #1" for four theremins eerily defies the bounds of written composition (Kavina plays all four theremin roles); Kavina's own Suite is an impressive showpiece of the instrument's range; and Vladimir Komarov's tape-and-theremin piece "Voice of Theremin" is built entirely of passages from the instrument and the voice of Theremin himself, all processed through a computer with stunning results. Martinu's Fantasia for Theremin, Oboe, Piano, and Strings is the disc's real charm: a 14-minute composition with plenty of oboe-theremin interplay and lovely string passages from the Portland String Quartet. For the classical fan who has everything, this disc may be the perfect gift. --Jason Verlinde

Album Description

As her hands dance around the instrument's antennas, Lydia Kavina proves the theremin is no mere producer of Hollywood sound effects. Russian theremin virtuoso Kavina presents the first release EVER dedicated solely to original compositions for the instrument - spanning the "golden age" of the theremin from its invention in the 1920s to contemporary works. One of the first attempts to unite music and scientific technology in the 20th century, the theremin is considered to be the ancestor of modern electronic musical instruments. Its evolution from scientific curiosity (discussed in scientific journals and manufactured by RCA) to virtuoso classical instrument (played by Clara Rockmore in Carnegie Hall) to "instrument of the future" (according to Cage, Varse, Grainger and others) to Hollywood sound effect (played in soundtracks to Spellbound, The Day the Earth Stood Still, The Lost Weekend, etc.) to rock-and-roll instrument (used by The Beach Boys, Led Zeppelin, Phish, Portishead and others) has been well documented. This disc is full of discoveries, including Martinu's Fantasia, and Percy Grainger's graphically notated Free Music #1 (1935) for 4 theremins, along with other "period" works by Schillinger (known for his writings on music and as a guru to composers from Gershwin to Earle Brown) and Isidor Achron (the accompanist to Heifetz). Modern works are represented by Kavina herself, Brazilian Jorge Antunes (with electronic tape) and Russian Vladimir Komarov, whose work also incorporates the inventor's voice and a rendition of Glinka's infamous The Lark, which Theremin had performed for Lenin to demonstrate the instrument. Lydia Kavina is the world's leading thereminist today. The granddaughter of Leon Theremin's first cousin, she was the inventor's last protŽgŽe. She began studying the instrument with him at the age of nine, and was concertizing by age fourteen. Since then, Kavina has given over 500 performances. She has also appeared in Howard Shore's soundtracks to eXistenZ and the Oscar-winning movie Ed Wood, and has performed in the Tom Waits/Robert Wilson collaborations Alice and The Black Rider. Kavina now serves on the lecture staff of The Glinka Museum and is affiliated with the Theremin Center, both in Moscow.

Customer Reviews:

good (but not great) vibrations..........2005-11-20

ah yes, the theremin... that weird sound in "Good Vibrations"... and much, much more: here we have a collection of "serious" compositions for this enigmatic electronic instrument dating from 1929-1996, performed by the (of course) mysteriously beautiful Lydia Kavina (described as "today's leading thereminist"... though many would argue that Geoff Brady is equally deserving of that title and just as mysteriously beautiful.) These pieces are presented chronologically and are all for theremin accompanied by other instruments (piano, string quartet & oboe, magnetic tape, or other theremins... no "solos" for some reason...)

The music is either pleasantly ethereal, engagingly eerie, maddeningly tedious, or just plain ridiculous (the more recent theremin+tape works often sound exactly like one of those "Halloween Sound Effects" albums.) Basically, the shorter the better is the general rule here... keep it under three minutes or you're in trouble (this will help with radio play too...) The real appeal is hearing the pieces you never knew existed for this instrument by Martinu and especially Percy Grainger (is there another composer more underrated than Percy Grainger? You just gotta love Percy Grainger!) The bonus is a couple of nice enough (short) things from other obscure 1930s composers (Schillinger, Wilckens, & Achron -- sounds like a law firm...) The problem is the more recent material, which is all totally disposable and/or annoying as hell (but I guess it fills up the CD.)

Basically, while this disc is essential for theremin-o-philes (yes, they are everywhere) and interesting enough for the curious, at the end of the day you will have to admit that nothing here can ever measure up to the greatness of "Good Vibrations."

The theremin continues!.......2004-05-19

The music world is not exactly teeming with theremin virtuosi. Quite simply, the theremin is one of the most difficult of all electronic instruments to master. Imagine an instrument which is played in thin air. The thereminist has no contact with a keyboard or a fingerboard. This instrument is played by moving one's hands close to or away from two antennae. One antenna controls pitch. The other controls volume. It is a terribly unforgiving instrument. It demands that the player be able to remain perfectly still, apart from his or her hands. Slight movements of the body can and will affect pitch.

Lydia Kavina is a master of the theremin. Very few have ever mastered it on her level. She was taught by the inventor of the theremin himself, the late Leon Theremin (Lev Termen). Since the death of Clara Rockmore, it is good to see someone continuing on in promoting this most magical and difficult of instruments.

This recording offers many treats for the listener. Chief among them is the Martinu Fantasy. For those who admire Martinu's work, this CD offers a recording of a rarely heard work of Martinu's.

Too weird.......2003-02-25

Despite Ms.Kavina's obvious mastery of the theremin I found the bulk of the cd to be too contemporary, abstract, and just plain weird for my taste. Call it avant garde if you will. None of the pieces left any memorable impression upon me and for much of the cd the music just sounds improvised and played more like musical gymnastics than melodic tunes. Not that that is a necessity in music by any means, but that style personally turns me off and to blunt just bores me. I wasn't even able to sit through the entire cd in one sitting. I also find the tone of Kavina's theremin to be too pure and sterile, more like a synthesizer than the "classic" theremin tone, a drastic contrast to the richness and warmth of Clara Rockmore's RCA instrument. If you're looking for a cd to start your collecion of theremin music I whole heartedly recommend passing one this one and getting the Clara Rockmore, or even the Samuel Hoffman cds, first and perhaps return to this one should you desire a little more theremin variety.

Sensitive and expressionistic.......2002-12-11

Unlike Clara Rockmore's "The Art of the Theramin", this is an album written exclusively for the theramin instrument.

The theramin has great dynamic and soprano range. In some of the pieces, the theramin is set against a human soprano. To exhillarating effect.

The theramin presages the Moog synthesizer.

If you had ONE theramin album, it would not be this one.

Choose the Clara Rockmore version, instead.

Theremin as an instrument, not a curiosity.......2002-04-30

This is a great album. I particularly like Lydia Kavina's original compositions, where the Theremin is clearly the ideal instrument.

Kavina's use of the Theremin is much more effective than Clara Rockmore's. While Rockmore's recordings show skill and ability, I cannot imagine anyone saying "yes, the Theremin is the ideal instrument" for the music on Rockmore's album. Speaking as an electronic musician who loves to explore the frontiers of music, I feel that under Rockmore the Theremin's appeal was more for its curiosity than for its appropriateness to the music.

With Lydia Kavina we have a different situation entirely. The music is ideal for the Theremin, and many of the compositions (particularly Kavina's) have real emotional power. I cannot imagine these pieces played with any other instrument (besides a synthesizer programmed to sound like a theremin).

Lydia Kavina is exploring a new musical space, appropriate to the Theremin. This album gives a fine sampling of that space, hopefully hinting at more to come.

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