AGNES MARTIN, UNTITLED I, II & III

Agnes Martin (1912-2004) is a Canadian born American painter who has been a prominent voice of the abstract painting movement of the 60’s. Considered by herself as an abstract expressionist, Agnes Martin has painted works that has resonated in many ways within the works of artists all around the world. Among those is composer Alice Orpheus, who has within boundaries of his contemporary music project Orphée, written three pieces directly inspired from Agnes Martin’s painting.

Agnes Martin, Untitled I, II & III by Orphée takes its roots within an ambiant repetitive and minimalistic music, obeying to pieces of precise lengths working as different frame of listen.

Following Agnes Martin’s work, it is impossible not to encounter the question of what is abstract minimalism. As a composer, it is also impossible to ignore the classical movement that is repetitive minimalist music carried out by celebrated composer such as Steve Reich, Morton Feldman or John Adams (as well as many others). For Alice, classical repetitive minimalistic music is as much a logical outcome form from the course of music history as it is a reaction to a world always going faster than before, with an acoustic and noise richness that has started, to have a negative impact on us.

As a logical answer, in those three pieces, Agnes Martin Untiled I, II & III by Alice Orpheus, Alice has chosen to invite the listener in the process itself. Music in those pieces obeys to different functions according to different lengths. Alice wanted to work on music being a “psyche regulator” like breathing is for the living organism. To do so, Alice invites the listener to listen to tracks at particular moments of the day according to the corresponding lengths. Bear in mind that one should only experience one of the options a day.

C / 24 MINUTES