Japanese-born expanded violinist Mari Kimura is a pioneer in the realm of technological interactivity in music and one of only a few violinists to take seriously the study of sub-harmonics, whole ranges of pitches outside the violin's usual compass that may be achieved through special bowing techniques. Prior to the release of Bridge's Polytopia, Kimura's work, already well known on the international concert scene, was under-represented on recordings; she had appeared only as a participant in improvisations and through her ...
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Japanese-born expanded violinist Mari Kimura is a pioneer in the realm of technological interactivity in music and one of only a few violinists to take seriously the study of sub-harmonics, whole ranges of pitches outside the violin's usual compass that may be achieved through special bowing techniques. Prior to the release of Bridge's Polytopia, Kimura's work, already well known on the international concert scene, was under-represented on recordings; she had appeared only as a participant in improvisations and through her self-released disc The World Below G. With Polytopia, Bridge finally provides listeners with a cross section of Kimura's varied streams of interest, from signal-processed pieces, which restate the live sounds she produces to "duets" with pre-recorded elements, computers, machines, and beyond. While on paper this may sound like a recipe for a "Metropolis"-like journey into the gaping jaws of a technological Moloch, conversely Polytopia is very fresh and challenging in a positive way...
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This recording presents levels of violin playing that never happened before, breakthrough techniques and startling virtuosity--
and it is all beautiful music.