ABANDONED TIME
International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE)
Daniel Lippel, guitar

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Dai Fujikura (b. 1977)

1. Abandoned Time (2004/rev. 2006)*

Mario Davidovsky ( b. 1934)

2. Festino (1994)

Kaija Saariaho (b. 1952)

3. Adjo (1982/rev. 1985)

Du Yun (b. 1977)

4. Vicissitudes No. 1 (2002)*

5. Linea d'ombra (1981)

* premiere recording

Recorded 1/07, 7/07, and 8/07 in Sweeney Auditorium, Smith College, Northampton, MA except Vicissitudes No. 1 which was recorded in Paine Hall, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA in 3/07.
Engineered, Edited, and Mastered by Ryan Streber
Sessions Produced by Jacob Greenberg and Peter Gilbert
Editing Produced by Daniel Lippel and Jacob Greenberg
Liner Notes by Daniel Lippel and Peter Gilbert
Design by Aaron David Ross
Cover image by Roma Koshel

Reviews

"Abandoned Time gives us another chance to hear modern guitar polymath, Dan Lippel, this time backed by the stellar International Contemporary Ensemble. Performing works by Dai Fujikura, Mario Davidovsky, Kaija Saariaho, Du Yun, and Magnus Lindberg, Lippel and ICE put their hearts into this project, delivering expressive, detailed, and precise interpretations. Standouts on the disc include Davidovsky's Festino for guitar, viola, cello, and bass, a playful piece full of rhythmic counterpoint and percussive guitar writing and string writing, and Saariaho's Adjo, a timbral tour de force featuring the exquisite soprano Tony Arnold. Pieces like these remind us that the guitar can still fundtion as an expressive centerpiece in contemporary composition. And while this release is by no means "easy listening," those willing to give this cd multiple listens will surely reap the benefits."
—Ian Antonio, Guitar Review, Spring 2009

"Visceral. Muscular. Sensual. Urgent. The language of contemporary music is physical..", so start the liner notes to this CD... and it's totally true in this recording. I'm sure there are those who dislike the disc already, so that's fine, you can stop reading now. If you are still with me, and you have the taste for extremely complex contemporary writing, writing with an almost old-fashioned unashamed atonality that at times does its best to screech the house down... then buy this recording. Lippel is present as the common element to all the pieces, and as a featured instrument rather than a listen-to-me mostly concerto soloist. The piece by Fujikura in fact has him playing an electric guitar, while in the Yun he seems to walk on from off stage playing a pipa or something. At all times all the players giver a tremendous account of these works, perhaps partly because they have had the chance to perform them live many times. Recommended at the highest level to those into this repertoire, or wanting to work in this field, or just to scare the hell out of the neighbors."
—Stephen Kenyon, Classical Guitar, May 2009

"The title track on Dan Lippel’s new CD with the International Contemporary Ensemble, Abandoned Time (New Focus), is scored for chamber group—strings, piano, flute, clarinet—so it’s a bit of a shock when his slithering, distorted electric guitar makes its first entrance. Written by young Japanese composer Dai Fujikura, the piece is packed with collar-grabbing stop-start transitions and dissonant strings that deliver choppy unison parts and ominous long tones, but Lippel’s guitar presides over the proceedings whether it’s screaming atop the din or weaving delicately through it. Also a longtime member of the post-rock band Mice Parade, he tackles a strictly modern repertoire on Abandoned Time, backed with sensitivity and verve by members of ICE, a partly local collective that’s emerged as one of the country’s boldest advocates of new music. Lippel plays acoustic guitar on most of the other compositions—by Mario Davidovsky, Kaija Saariaho, Du Yun, and Magnus Lindberg—and they’re just as demanding, filled with jagged lines, blistering rhythms, and explosions of energy."
—Peter Margasak, Chicago Reader, November 17, 2008

"International Contemporary Ensemble, which was founded in 2001, consists of over thirty musicians, but their performances generally draw on only a handful at a time; this recording features a dozen players, but most of the works are trios or quartets for unconventional combinations of instruments and voice. The unifying element in the repertoire on this CD is its unapologetic modernism -- this is music with a spiky, sinewy physicality that makes no concession to easy accessibility, and there is a good mix of pieces by established and emerging composers. Abandoned Time, by Dai Fujikura, includes almost the whole ensemble, and is essentially a small concerto for electric guitar, played here by Daniel Lippel. Its language may be modernist, but it's not the academic modernism of the late twentieth century; the piece is strongly flavored with a loose-limbed energy and grittiness that's reminiscent of Bang on a Can. Kaija Saariaho's Adjö, for voice, flute, and guitar requires the singer and instrumentalists to use a variety of extended techniques, and is notable for the sense of frantic disjunction that it creates with instruments that are most often used for their lyrical quality. Vicissitudes No. 1, by Du Yun, which includes both Western and traditional Chinese instruments, is characterized by frenzied anxiety, but has an expanse of serene equipoise at its center. The ensemble plays with exquisite precision, understanding, and fierce energy and engagement -- this is a group to watch out for. The sound is exceptionally clear, crisp, and well-defined.
—Stephen Eddins , All Music Guide, 2009

"The performances of the International Contemporary Ensemble are staggeringly cool. Dai Fujikura's Abandoned Time is a post-rock soundtrack set to the horror movie of the 20th century. Electric guitar, tube amp, the familiar sound of haunting vibraphone chords, and sharp string eruptions inject a physicality into the work. In the same vein, Vicissitudes no. 1 by Du Yun is urgent, yet torn in identity. At first the saxophones rule the ensemble through free jazz, then a steel guitar centers the atmosphere before the percussion finally prevails. Mario Davidovsky's Festino is a playground for string trio members who have always wanted to imitate guitars with their instruments. Most of the piece is light, though somber in mood, with the real guitar leading the ensemble. The final work on the program is Magnus Lindberg's Linea d'ombra. The clarinet and flute are the early leaders, making their presence known with pointed articulations and light leaps and runs. The pitched percussion and guitar often act like an opposing duo. Breathy sounds and breathing are used in the piece's conclusion, and extended flute techniques and multiphonics from the clarinet appear in tasteful locations."
—Lamper, American Record Guide, January/February 2009