Guy Barash: Talkback VII

Guy Barash came in to record vocals with Jamie Jordan for his new composition, Talkback VII. This contemporary classical work is comprised of voice, and prerecorded electronic soundtrack.

Here is a note from the composer about the piece:

Image from artist website

Image from artist website

The seventh in a series of compositions for solo instruments and electronics, Talkback VII “Polaroid” is a dialog between a singer and her prerecorded voice. It is based on the eponymous poem by Nick Flynn, which examines a famous exchange between Gertrude Stein and Pablo Picasso:

He paints her face from memory.
But it doesn’t look anything like me, she argues.
Perhaps not, he says—but it will.

Talkback, just like in online media, is a response to something more substantial: western tradition, the canon. It is smaller but often as significant as it is a sincere manifestation of the zeitgeist. Real-time interaction between the singer and her electronic incarnation, similar to forms of contemporary communication—posting, tweeting, blogging, etc.— is filtered, yet very real.