Ten Classical Pieces You Don't Care About (Yet): #7

     

       Christopher Bono was drafted by the Seattle Mariners before a career-ending injury led him to his guitar and to musical composition. After working on an experimental rock project and his spiritual side, he released his first chamber music album in 2012.
       The second piece in a triptych of “Invocations”, “Fish, Father, Phoenix” is best described as a “surrealist percussion collage expressing humanity’s place in the life cycle juxtaposing animal and insect sounds with cut-up samples of the voice of Bono’s father” (Jack Sullivan). Exploring the juxtaposition of field recordings from Africa and Botswana with his deceased father’s philosophical musings, the piece grapples with “the process of aging, man’s place in the natural world, and transcendental anxiety” (from Bono’s website). Here’s the first two minutes:



       According to Bono, the ‘fish’ of the title represents the germinal force of life, the potential for creation and change, as well as man’s own lower nature; ‘father’ is the present state of man; ‘phoenix’ is our future. Behind this terminology is music that is both brightly minimalistic and slightly post-rock. Layers build and add to other layers, while certain instrumental pockets are emphasized at certain times. Although the occasional honking or screeching emerges from the din, none of it is harsh or inaccessible. In fact, “Fish, Father, Phoenix,” is made of spontaneity and rhythmic sway, as if Bono is discovering this music himself for the first time.
       Bono’s spirituality is not New Age-y or commercialized—it feels real. As I’m struck by new combinations of pre-recorded samples and instrumental lines against a background of addictive rhythms, I find further stimulation (and even solace) in thinking about a kind of spiritual message. The last two minutes feature a wide sonic expanse of sand, the present day stretching out to the horizon.
       "Fish, Father, Phoenix” is colorful, but also consistent. Just because the piece is best enjoyed with headphones doesn’t mean you can’t share it. So, share it. This contemporary classical music is exciting and worthwhile.

NOTE: Christopher Bono’s choral pieces “The Unexcelled Mantra” (with text from the Heart Sutra) and “Unity” (Plato’s Republic) were released this past October. The former comes with this video from the woman behind Sigur Rós and Seabear videos and album covers.