Oscar Bettison (1975) works within and outside the confines of concert music, frequently combining traditional with invented and re-imagined instruments. O Death mixes saxophones, trombone, banjo and piano with jaw's harps, harmonicas, recorders, melodica, flower pots and prepared wrenches. This seven-movement requiem masque assembles a broad range of traditions, including blues and other American folk music, exploring the theme of death and transcendence. O Death presents a dream of life from the perspective of the timeless dead and a premonition of death from the vantage of the clock-bound living.
Reviews:
CD Pick of the Week: "an unconventional lyricism and a menacing beauty" (WNYC radio, Soundcheck, 16 April 2010)
"an ever-developing swirl of swarming, syncopated horns" "feverish interplay" "the keening penultimate movement telegraphing terror in its descending scales before the inevitable lulling finale, nailed shut by a thudding drum." (Baltimore City Paper, 21 April 2010)
5-stars: "a theatrical atmosphere, building in intensity. From a lazy funereal blues via dissonant, relentlessly pulsating blocks of energy it arrives at an uneasy close." (NRC Handelsblad, 21 May 2010)
released April 6, 2010
Heiko Geerts, reeds, jaw's harp & recorders
Erik-Jan de With, reeds, jaw's harp & recorders
Anton van Houten, trombone, recorders, jaw's harp & melodica
Joey Marijs, percussion & harmonica
Pete Harden, guitars, banjo & jaw's harp
Saskia Lankhoorn, piano & harmonica
Tom Gelissen, live electronics & sound
Mixed and produced by Tom Gelissen
Artistic direction, Pete Harden
Design by Duel (
www.studioduel.nl)
Recorded live, 19-20 May 2009 in the Korzo Theater, The Hague
This cd was made possible with financial support from Société Gavigniès.