“The sonic vocabulary of this work is drawn from number stations, which are mysterious shortwave radio broadcasts which appeared in the 1970s Cold War era and continue until today. Through incorporating these found sounds into my musical language, I explore the representation of electronic phenomena through acoustic means. More broadly, through the juxtaposition or fusion of electronics and acoustic instruments, I explore the possibilities of interpreting, and elaborating upon, the essence of sound material through different media.

In addition to musical vocabulary, shortwave radio also influences larger gestural and structural elements in Grey Waters. I explore the effect of periodic repetitions as a means of creating or dissipating tension, and how these elements contrast from or complement aperiodic musical elements. The concepts of interference between differentiable streams of musical activity, as well as sonic textures superimposed upon one another, lie at the core of this music and are analogous to changing frequencies on a shortwave radio receiver. The electronics in this work, projected through a pair of loudspeakers, establish a concrete reference to the number station source material, but also organically react to and extend the sounds of the instruments in real-time.

Finally, the material of the work is directly shaped by the odd speech-rhythm and data streams recited in these mysterious broadcasts, which poses the semiotic question as to what, if anything, the music is communicating. Perhaps this could represent a state of mind which is a reaction to the current world situation— unclear about the intricacies of the present and anxious regarding the dangers of the future.

I am profoundly grateful to the Talea Ensemble, Conductor James Baker, Giorgio Magnanensi and Vancouver New Music for their inspiration and for bringing these explorations to life.”

Brandon Chow

Performers: Talea Ensemble, dir. James Baker
Orpheum Annex, Vancouver, Canada
Vancouver New Music
April 23, 2022