Composition No. 173 (subtitled For 4 Actors, 14 Instrumentalists Constructed Environment and Video Projections) is an album by American saxophonist and composer Anthony Braxton with orchestra and actors recorded in 1994 for the Italian Black Saint label.Anthony Braxton discography accessed June 13, 2017Enciclopedia del Jazz: Anthony Braxton accessed June 13, 2017Jazzlists: Black Saint Records main series discography, accessed June 13, 2017
Reception The AllMusic review by "Blue" Gene Tyranny stated "This musically and textually complex composition examines movement-strategies that occur in normal life in various spaces ... The music is exciting and contrapuntally dense, and at other times mysteriously sustained. Maps of geography (sounds moving about the real and imaginary and video "virtual" lands) and musical graph strategies are treated as analogs. A thoughtful and innovative "multimedia" work".
Track listing All compositions by Anthony Braxton.
"Composition No. 173": "Opening Music – Introduction" – 15:39 Scene One – Interlude Duo"" – 16:16 "Scene Two (A) – Interlude Ensemble" – 14:22 "Scene Two (B)" – 5:12 "Closing Music" – 7:26
Personnel Anthony Braxton – conductor Actors Steve Ben Israel – "Arnold" Laura Arbuckle – "Jeremy" Isha Beck – "Miss Tisingham" Baba Ben Israel – "Molly"
Musicians Melinda Newman – oboe; soloist Brandon Evans – sopranino saxophone, bass clarinet; soloist Bo Bell – bassoon Jennifer Hill – clarinet Danielle Langston, Nickie Braxton – violin Brett W. Larner – koto Kevin O'Neil – guitar Sandra Miller, Jacob Rosen – cello Dirck Westervelt, Joe Fonda – bass Josh Rosenblatt – percussion
References