George Cremaschi, Irene Kepl, Petr Vrba

Resonators documents a distinctive trio - George Cremaschi (double bass, electronics), Irene Kepl (violin, electronics), and Petr Vrba (trumpet, clarinet, electronics) - whose central aim is to use the acoustics of resonant spaces as a compositional force. Recorded in a monastery in Bechyne and a hall in Valdstejn Loggia, the album’s four tracks are colored by echo, mingling long droning tones, drifting feedback, and abrupt outbursts with the ambient noises of stone and air. The ensemble’s methodology goes beyond traditional improvisation, instead pursuing a dialogue with the physical spaces themselves, letting resonance and architecture infiltrate timbre and musical development.

On “Affective Labor,” Cremaschi’s feedback, drones, and blurred bass lines create a dark, ambient landscape occasionally interrupted by clarinet chirps and bold violin figures, the entire piece drifting from quiet purity to bursts of violence and tension. “Soma,” led by Kepl, shifts abruptly between spiky, articulated detail and deep bass monoliths, leveraging sibilance, scraping, and frenzied blowing to create sonic violence without resorting to pure noise. The shorter pieces probe resonance and group energy, cycling through squeaks, pops, buzzes, and thumps - each gesture answered and reshaped by the acoustic environment in real time.

The result is a music that rewards both critical focus and ambient contemplation. Resonators is not a showcase for performer virtuosity but an installation-like experience - where trio and space dissolve into each other, composing with reverberation, feedback, and collective contingency. This is chamber music remade for contemporary ears, privileging process, openness, and interaction between humans, devices, and the silent architecture that shapes all live sound.