Gregory Rowland Evans - "Lepiota"

 Gregory Rowland Evans - Lepiota

 Lepiota was an interesting experiment which was several decades too late to be musically worthwhile.

Lepiota is a short work, less than two minutes, for solo viola which also premiered at New Music Mosaic's "Timbre Vol. 1: Growth/Decay" virtual concert. Composed by Gregory Rowland Evans, Lepiota's brief, tortured sound world is comprised of extended squeaks and squawks normally associated with experimentalist movements. Unfortunately for Evans, he and his compositions seem to be unaware that time has passed (watch the performance here).

Roselyn Hobbs, a violist and long-time champion of contemporary music, gave a begrudgingly well-executed performance of Evans' work. She was able to perfectly simulate the sounds of creaking doors and computer-inspired bleeps with incredible accuracy and a stunning array of dynamic contrast for a solo instrument. Lepiota was an interesting experiment which was several decades too late to be musically worthwhile.


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© 2022 Brutal New Music Reviews
originally written and published 12 January 2022

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