Daniel Corral in conversation with Alexander Gedeon

Riting: Daniel Corral in conversation with Alexander Gedeon

Daniel Corral is a composer and multi-instrumentalist born and raised in Eagle River, Alaska. I was previously aware of his work through several showings at REDCAT, and a very memorable performance of Circle Limit III for 8 guitars, presented on a downtown sidewalk as part of the LA Phil’s Noon-to-Midnight festival last year. On the occasion of his presentation of Polytope this week at the LAX festival, I was able to ask Daniel some questions about his rapidly evolving musical and theatrical language.

Polytope is a multimedia performance for MIDI quartet, but it’s also a standalone album, released by Orenda Records several weeks ago. As a recording, Polytope embodies ‘the gold standard’ of ambient music — it can hover in the background and cast a subtle vibe, but will also stand up to closer inspection: delicately layered overtones cascade and recede, forming a spellbinding latticework. In moments, it’s not unlike water drops on a windshield, dripping and streaking reflected light with each movement of the wiper.

For this week’s performance, the audience sits in darkness as patterns of glowing light expand and contract in geometric sequence. The visual patterns become predictable in a way that’s oddly satisfying: one becomes seduced into thinking the music is as simple as the light show looks. But it’s not. Corral’s untraversed realms of microtonality create an uncanny, persistent tension. One reviewer compared the music to “Gamelan from Pluto”. In hearing particular harmonic relationships for the first time, I feel like I’m having unique, emotional responses I can’t quite pinpoint. It’s impressively weird.

READ MORE at Riting.org

 

In advance of the LAX Festival we asked Riting.org to partner with us in profiling the twelve pieces in the festival.

Daniel’s performance POLYTOPE, runs on October 17th and 19th, 2018, at Think Tank Gallery in the Los Angeles Exchange [LAX] Festival. Details can be found here.

 

Riting is an experiment in writing that engages with performance happening now in Los Angeles. Riting is a ground for encounters between artists, their critical community, and the public they belong to. Riting brings together a multiplicity of bodies and a polyphony of voices. Riting supposes there is no definitive untangling. Riting assumes mutuality of investment in the ecology of performance activity in this city.