Lars Graugaard (b. 1957) received no formal training in composition. He actively pursues a double career as a composer and flautist. In the latter regard he was educated at the Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen. He has worked extensively with computers in the preparation of his compositions, but improvisation and pure intuition have come to play increasingly important roles in his works in recent years. He was appointed composer-in-residence of the Odense Symphony Orchestra in 1997. He also teaches "The Performer and the Digital Media" at the Carl Nielsen Academy of Music in Odense. Lars Graugaard served as artistic director of the ISCM World Music Days in Copenhagen in 1996. Incrustations (1993-1994, revised 1995) was originally conceived as an interactive piece for harp and computer using software developed in the MAX programming environment to control a KORG Wavestation. The recording on this CD is an adapted version for harp and tape. The title of the work refers to a relief technique used in carpentry, where various types of wood of contrasting color are inlaid. The composition was conceived on the gestural level as an attempt to directly access the musical expression of a conceived musical idea rather than to systematically generate each individual note. Performed musical gestures are used by the computer to generate musical gestures, but they also influence Music for harp and computer timbre. This is done through the use of an ever-developing controlled randomness which places the harp in relief (hence the title). The piece was commissioned by and dedicated to Sofia Asuncion Claro.
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