This Creative Sources release offers a piquant blend of strings, percussion and electronics in a texture-driven assemblage of sound.
The five tracks presented here bring together Ernesto Rodrigues on viola, Guilherme Rodrigues on cello, Lisa Ullen on piano, D’Incise on laptop and objects, and Cyril Bondi on bass drum and objects. The focus is on sound-as-such as it arises from the collective blend of all five musicians, rather than on individual instrumental voices. At any given time high- and low-frequency drones overlap with dissonant long tones on the strings; slow piano chords emerge half-veiled from behind a hollow curtain of metallic sound; rattling metal punctuates the quiet thrum of an electronic foundation. The sound takes on an almost autonomous quality relative to its sources; one can enjoy listening in a state that brackets out external associations in favor of an immersion in the pure physicality of the subtle changes in dynamics and timbre. Daniel Barbiero (Avant Music News)
According to hexagram 51 in the I Ching, "True quiet means keeping still when the time has come to keep still, and going forward when the time has come to go forward. In this way rest and movement are in agreement with the demands of the time, and thus there is light in life."
The Creative Sources release Lisboa is a sublime illustration of the ability to honor stillness. The five pieces were recorded by a powerhouse group of European improvisers: violist Ernesto Rodrigues and cellist Guilherme Rodrigues are from Portugal; pianist Lisa Ullén is from Sweden; and laptop and objects master D'Incise as well as drummer and objects master Cyril Bondi are from Switzerland. Yet on this recording, the group's power consists precisely in their ability to hold back, to wait with open ears and then step forward at the music's behest.
Recorded in Lisbon in January 2012, in a small studio with a grand piano and the warm Portugese night outside, Lisboa consists of five tracks that slip together so effortlessly, they feel like a comprehensive suite. The group creates a one-voice of gentle electronic doings — a few ghostly piano chords, some faraway booms, occasional remote bowing, bells here and there, a shifting family of drones, and various mysterious aural creatures born from electronic parents. Nothing is particularly loud or jarring; everything occurs in the range of the subtle and slow, and perhaps it is the tender pace of the suite that ultimately makes it so refreshing. This music is the opposite of hurrying: it uses time and sound in a way diametrically opposed to the great rush that humanity seems so intent upon.
Entering this recording feels like stepping into a faraway dream, a world gently haunted by vanishing sound. It's a timeless space of no reference, and as a result the music is immensely peaceful and pleasing. Lisboa is an elegant dance of cooperation, a bouquet of sound by electroacoustic masters — and thus there is light in life. Florence Wetzel (The Squid's Ear)
"Lisboa” sai-se melhor com as contribuições de D’Incise, Cyril Bondi, Lisa Ullèn e Guilherme Rodrigues, talvez porque mergulha ainda mais no factor som, explorando a intersecção das polaridades de frequências e até os bordões – muito raramente encontramos abordagens “drone” neste tipo de investimentos – numa gestualidade solta e até sedutora. Rui Eduardo Paes (Jazz.pt)
Lisboa est un enregistrement beaucoup plus récent (juillet 2012) qui est aussi très bien joué, mais qui peut aussi paraître un peu convenu. Ici sont présents une autre génération de musiciens avec Cyril Bondi à la grosse caisse et objets, d'incise à l'ordinateur et aux objets, Ernesto Rodrigues à l'alto, Guilherme Rodrigues au violoncelle et Lisa Ullén au piano.
Le quintet propose cinq pièces improvisées dans une tendance beaucoup plus "réductionniste" ici. Archets continus sur les cordes (alto, violoncelle et piano bien sûr), grosse caisse frottée avec des objets, nombreuses techniques étendues et nappes électroniques discrètes et ambient sont au menu de cette demi-heure de musique. La durée de ce disque est peut-être sa première qualité d'ailleurs. Non pas que ce soit chiant, mais c'est le genre de musique sur laquelle on peut difficilement rester concentrer plus longtemps. Juste le temps d'un concert en gros, mais pas plus. Car si c'est très bien joué (et je pense surtout à Bondi et d'incise qui sont les musiciens avec le plus de personnalité dans ce disque) c'est tout de même attendu et convenu je trouve. Ceci-dit, Lisboa reste un bon disque dans le genre, un disque avec de la personnalité, quelques trouvailles sonores engageantes, et une atmosphère singulière. Julien Héraud (ImprovSphere)
[...] And what fine way to start this task than to start with Lisboa, a short (36 minutes) CD featuring five free improvisations by four musicians I admire (the Rodrigues’s father and son, respectively on viola and cello; objects handlers Cyril Bondi and d’incise, who also form the duo Diatribes), and Lisa Ullen, a pianist I’m hearing for the first time. Highly delicate improvisations that appear to more like soundworlds of their own than pieces with a beginning, development, and conclusion. These players exhibit astounding listening skills. François Couture (Monsieur Delire)
Para este disco foram reunidos os músicos Cyril Bondi (percussão), D’Incise (electronic) e Lisa Ullén piano, além da dupla Ernesto e Guilherme Rodrigues (viola e violoncelo, pai e filho, respectivamente). Os nomes dos cinco temas que compõe o disco foram roubados aos bairros históricos de Lisboa: “Alfama”, “Bairro Alto”, “Alcântara”, “Graça” e “Lapa”. O disco foi gravado em Lisboa em 2012, por altura dos Santos Populares, o que talvez justifique o título do disco e dos respectivas faixas, mas que não se reflecte na música - Ernesto não abdica da coerência estética. O quinteto trabalha uma música focada no coletivo, soando quase como uma voz única. A união sonora é constante, raramente há desvios ao caminho comum traçado. Nuno Catarino (Bodyspace.net)
Orchestrated from strings, piano, percussives, laptop & objects, this quintet creates a complex collective voice from high- and low-frequency drones, dissonant long string tones, slow piano chords, metallic sounds, and rich electronics. (Squidco)
