Chen Music

Audrey Chen/Frederic Blondy @ An Die Musik, Baltimore, MD
April 11, 2008

Audrey Chen: cello, voice, electronics
Frederic Blondy: piano


One of Baltimore's great sonic treasures is the improvised textures of Audrey Chen. At the concluding performance of an American tour with French pianist Frederic Blondy this duo brought a decidedly brooding, long-form performance to An Die Musik that rippled with hyper-extended detail.

Frederic Blondy's technique skirts along a territory between prepared and "unprepared" piano. With a congregation of chop sticks muting the high strings of the instrument and an instinct for finding the nodal points along the vibrations of the low strings with his fingers Blondy wove a timbral range from the piano into the intense drones and patterns coming from Chen's characteristic intensity. The collaborative sound unfolded along natural contours that suggested attentive meditation. Through this music it was possible to hear the ears of its performers.