{"id":568,"date":"2017-09-29T11:12:41","date_gmt":"2017-09-29T19:12:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/catherinemlee.com\/site\/?page_id=568"},"modified":"2026-06-01T18:59:20","modified_gmt":"2026-06-02T02:59:20","slug":"reviews","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.catherinemlee.com\/site\/reviews\/","title":{"rendered":"Press\/Reviews"},"content":{"rendered":"
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PRESS<\/strong><\/p>\n

On a \u201cmission to lead her tribe of double reeds to a new vision appropriate to the new century<\/strong>. Brava! Long live Catherine\u2019s Oboe.\u201d – New Music Buff<\/em>, 2021<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cthe inherent beauty <\/strong>of her instruments\u2019 timbres are maximized by the musicality she brings to even the most experimental setting. Her instruments allow for such natural human expression they can\u2019t help but engage no matter how abstract\u201d – Textura<\/em>, 2021<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLee showcases her beautiful dark tone <\/strong>on all three instruments and her mastery of 20th-century techniques… a direct reflection of current society\u201d – The Whole Note, <\/em>2021<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA superior instrumentalist… Lee has a ravishing, declamatory tone and absolute control <\/strong>over her instrument… modern yet lyrical… absolute musicality. Recommended strongly.\u201d – Gapplegate Classical Modern Music Review<\/em>, 2016<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“A body of work that\u2019s often reflective and addresses the dynamics of transformation, there\u2019s a very artistic presence that comes with a profound familiarity with her instrument, and the technical demeanor is\u00a0nothing short of stunning<\/strong>.” – Take Effect<\/em>, 2023<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cforce of impact and emotional resonance<\/strong>… the discordance and beauty throughout are a perfect reflection <\/strong>of finding flickers of peace and comfort amid the nonstop madness.\u201d – Voice of Energy<\/em>, 2021<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201ca beautiful sonic score… ever-evolving, emotionally touching <\/strong>… Catherine Lee\u2018s hovering, floating, and somewhat outerworldly oboe performance to create a piece that truly exceeds the dimensions of space and time<\/strong>. Highly recommended, this. – Nitestylez.de, 2021<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCatherine Lee has a unique perspective and an original voice<\/strong>… immaculate, masterful oboe playing and fresh, un-encumbered musical ideas… Her music creates space for healing<\/strong>.\u201d – The Double Reed, <\/em>2017<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLee\u2019s pure, clear oboe… [offers] a compelling evolutionary journey of spacious deep beauty \u2013 <\/strong>explorative, moving and cathartic… tone, timbre and melodic inventions are impeccable in this graceful listening journey.\u201d – SE Examiner<\/em>, 2021<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCatherine Lee, instead of merely navigating these choppy waters, makes them her destination… as compelling as it is eminently listenable<\/strong>.\u201d – The Whole Note<\/em>, 2016<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cmeshes sounds that you might hear in a recital hall or a studio with sounds that might come from the forest or the riverside… an adventurous path<\/strong>\u201d – NW Reverb<\/em>, 2021<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201ca sort of new breed of instrumental specialist.<\/strong>…a gifted musician who seems poised to shepherd these instruments into new adventures in the 21st century…Her playing sounds effortless…she clearly moves beyond the technical to master the expressive range. I would certainly be willing to hear just about anything Ms. Lee chooses to play.\u201d – New Music Buff<\/em>, 2016<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLee\u2019s fluid, graceful timbre has just the right amount of energy… varying timbre and resonance with great thoughtfulness… Her palette widens in dynamics, register, and range of tone quality, but again with a fluid, natural trajectory… gorgeous, floating breath support<\/strong>… The tonal focus of her English horn is especially beautiful from note to note….\u201d – The Double Reed, <\/em>2017<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cbeautiful phrasing, ability to project a long melodic line, and considerable skill… her virtuosity is apparent<\/strong>\u201d – IAWM Journal<\/em>, 2021<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Full Reviews of “Remote Together”:<\/strong><\/div>\n
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Ron Schepper, June 2021 in Textura<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Many ambient-electronic producers have issued experimental recordings featuring soundscapes, electronic treatments, and field recordings; albums presenting the oboe, oboe d’amore, and English horn in the lead soloist’s role are available too, though they’re typically found in the classical section. In conjoining the two on\u00a0Remote Together, Catherine Lee does something few others have done. Best of all, the inherent beauty of her instruments’ timbres are maximized by the musicality she brings to even the most experimental setting. Her instruments allow for such natural human expression they can’t help but engage no matter how abstract or alien the elements with which they’re combined.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Lee elevates these pieces with her explorative sensibility and technical command, and through her efforts the oboe and English horn are able to be seen with fresh ears as instruments that can fit as naturally into an experimental milieu as a classical one.<\/strong> To that end, she’s also something of a pioneer, given that many of the pieces on\u00a0Remote Together\u00a0are pieces she helped bring into being. Of its six pieces, four were written for her, and one she composed with Juniana Lanning.<\/p>\n

The Canadian oboist brings impressive credentials to the endeavour<\/strong>. Lee’s performed in classical, contemporary, and free improv contexts and is involved in a number of groups. She’s worked with Roscoe Mitchell and also numerous orchestras in the U.S. and Canada. On the academic side, Lee, who earned her doctorate at McGill in Montreal, is currently on faculty at Willamette University, Western Oregon University, and George Fox University. Indicative of her area of musical interests, she also has a certification from the Deep Listening Institute in New York.<\/p>\n

Remote Together\u00a0features material by composers residing in the Pacific Northwest, including Canadian composers Jordan Nobles, Taylor Brook, and Dana Reason. Thoughtfully sequenced, the recording takes on the character of a journey filled with detours into unusual soundworlds where in one moment Lee might engage with a Baroque-inspired melody and grapple with microtonality in another.<\/strong> While the pieces are formally scored, improvisation is present to varying degrees throughout, which makes each performance unique.<\/p>\n

Nobles’\u00a0Nocturne\u00a0eases the listener into the project with a short setting for solo oboe that effectively showcases the instrument’s haunting sonorities, after which the album’s general character comes into focus with Reason’s\u00a0Chanson de Fleurs: Eleanor of Aquitaine. For ten minutes, the oboe navigates through an evolving soundfield dense with elements associated with nature (birds calls, insect noises, rustlings) and otherwise (electronic convulsions, piano chords, vocal babble). Scored for oboe d’amore and electronics, Brook’s\u00a0Alluvium\u00a0explores the notion of \u201cmicrotonal drift,\u201d such that Lee plays against a tape whose precisely tuned microtonal modulations slowly move the harmony from one tonal centre to another. The piece sounds as described, with micro-shifts in tonality constantly redefining the harmonic centre as the material develops.<\/p>\n

Less dense by comparison is Matt Carlson’s\u00a0Chiasmus, which pairs Lee’s English horn with synthesizer by the composer. Drawing from the titular literary device whereby a phrase is mirrored (e.g., J.F.K.’s \u201cAsk not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country\u201d),\u00a0Chiasmus\u00a0follows a series of short duo melodies with variations appearing in reverse chronological order. You’ll likely remember the piece more, however, for its generally stately character, the refreshing amount of space generated by Carlson’s use of silence, and the melodious effect of the two voices sounding together. That the piece also suggests some degree of connection to classical music, however indirect that might be, also adds to it. As its title intimates,\u00a0Silkys\u00a0relates to the domestic silk moth and specifically the developmental stages that bring it to its adult form. The collaboration between Lee and Lanning, which pairs the former’s oboe with swarming sound manipulations by the latter, makes for a fitting closer, not only for its uncompromising experimental tone<\/strong> but for concepts of metamorphosis and cocooning that have assumed magnified resonance during the pandemic period.<\/p>\n

One of the more appealing things about the recording is that while most of the soundscapes against which Lee appears are heavily manipulated and electronic, her instruments appear in their natural form. That allows for maximum tension to emerge<\/strong> in the juxtapositions between the sounds she produces and the accompanying soundfields, while also allowing for the oboe and English horn to be heard in all their natural glory.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Megan Woodard Vol 47 No.1, 2024, in The Double Reed<\/strong><\/p>\n

With her album Remote Together<\/em>, Catherine Lee makes the case for solo oboe and tape not only during the pandemic, but as a growing trend in the classical performance world. Through the use of electronics and field recordings Lee was able to perform on oboe, oboe d\u2019amore, and English horn without the risk of physical person-to-person contact in 2021. Her commissioned works are stunning, full of surprises and intrigue.<\/strong> I found myself audibly gasping <\/strong>at several moments while listening <\/strong>to this unique and impeccably produced album. <\/strong><\/p>\n

While every work on Remote Together <\/em>is enjoyable and novel, I was especially interested in tracks 2 through 6, all of which include Lee on the solo instrument accompanied by (or accompanying) a tape. Tape seems an inadequate word to describe the high fidelity and extremely varied soundscapes featured here. The second track, Chanson de Fleurs: Eleanor of Aquitaine <\/em>(2017) by Dana Reason, keeps the listener constantly on edge as the oboe moves from foreground to background while duetting with an ever-changing symphony of mysterious natural sounds. It\u2019s fun to pick them out\u2014murmuring voices, birds, rushing water, rustling leaves, rain, and the terrifying noise of scraping metal\u2014as they move busily around the slower-paced plaintive oboe voice. Reason\u2019s sonic work was inspired by Elanor of Aquintaine (d. 1204)\u2014Queen of both England and France. Performing in the style of a Renaissance chant, the oboe seems to represent an inner spiritual-grounding amidst a busy and uncertain outer world. Reason intended this sonic work to reflect \u201cthe struggle between public and private life\u201d: a fitting theme for the pandemic.<\/p>\n

Brook\u2019s Alluvium <\/em>(2017) and Snow\u2019s Red Eyes, Green Lion\u2019s Teeth, Golden Heads <\/em>(2017), both for oboe d\u2019amore, feature Lee\u2019s comfort with extended techniques like multiphonics, quarter tones, and pitch bending. Alluvium <\/em>creates a trance-like state in the listener with the use of microtonal drift, a sonic experience that occurs when moving to different key centers in an extended just intonation context, causing the tonic to gradually shift. I found the listening experience similar to repeatedly moving from the cold shadows into the warm sunlight on a winter\u2019s day. Snow\u2019s work for oboe d\u2019amore and electronics is inspired by dandelions. This untamed plant and its \u201cdragon\u201d shaped leaves often begs the question: is it a flower or is it a weed?<\/p>\n

Lee\u2019s soulful English horn playing on track 5, Carlson\u2019s Chiasmus <\/em>(2018), is equal to her skill on d\u2019amore and oboe. However, the final track, Silkys <\/em>(2020) by Lee and Lanning, is the one that stuck with me the longest. Silkys <\/em>features prerecorded field recordings that document the process of a silk worm transforming into a moth. The rhythmic scratching and tapping of the worm is reminiscent of ASMR recordings. The recording travels from satisfying to overwhelming to terrifying to extremely uncomfortable as the buzzing intensi- fies and finally releases as gloriously tonal humming of mature wings. While accompanying the insect, Lee demonstrates fantastic control of pitch bends and multiphonics as well as excellent intonation. This track is not to be missed.<\/p>\n

Remote Together <\/em>explores themes of finding your center\u2014and pitch center\u2014amidst an unpredictable and sometimes terrifying outer world. This poetic and deeply powerful album by Catherine Lee is a treat for the ears.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Tom Steven Hagen, June 20, 2023 in Take Effect<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

A skilled oboist and improviser, Catherine Lee returns with a sophomore solo album, where themes of pandemic culture are put through cathartic, adventurous and atypical songs with a rare, sonic appeal.<\/p>\n

Josh Nobles\u2019 \u201cNocturne\u201d starts the listen with solo oboe, where a very eloquent and meticulous delivery is quite expressive, and Dana Reason\u2019s \u201cChanson de Fleurs: Eleanor of Aquitaine\u201d pairs the stirring oboe with soundscapes that give the track a very nature-esque appeal.<\/p>\n

Residing in the middle, \u201cAlluvium\u201d, by Taylor Brook, brings dreamy electronics to the synthetic versus organic ambience, while \u201cRed Eyes, Green Lion\u2019s Teeth, Golden Heads\u201d recruits tape to the oboe d\u2019amore for a more percussive focused display amid the flowing oboe of the Julian Snow piece.<\/p>\n

The final two tracks are among the best, where Matt Carlson\u2019s \u201cChiasmus\u201d blends french horn and synthesizer into a unique buzzing, droning landscape, and Lee and Juniana Lanning\u2019s \u201cSilkys\u201d exits with the oboe, field recordings and sound manipulation making an indelible impression.<\/p>\n

A body of work that\u2019s often reflective and addresses the dynamics of transformation, there\u2019s a very artistic presence that comes with a profound familiarity with her instrument, and the technical demeanor is nothing short of stunning<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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\"\"Melissa Scott, June 25, 2021 in The WholeNote<\/a>
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During the worldwide pandemic, Canadian oboist Catherine Lee turned this experience into a creative solo album, Remote Together.<\/p>\n

The compositions are put in a specific order to recreate the transformative experience during social isolation; loneliness to overcoming seclusion, with a new perspective on life as we know it. The album features works by Canadian and American composers from the Pacific Northwest, often incorporating the vibrant sounds of nature with the pastoral timbre of the oboe, oboe d\u2019amore and English horn.<\/p>\n

Although each composition brought different perspectives of the oboe family\u2019s tonal variety, the one that really stood out was the final work Silkys, co-created in 2020 by Catherine Lee and Juniana Lanning. Silkys depicts the lifecycle of the domestic silk moth with the integration of field recordings of natural sounds. You can hear the entire metamorphosis from the very beginnings of life, crawling around as a caterpillar, to being sealed in a cocoon hearing the faint world around outside, to developing and trying new wings, to finally emerging a free moth. Lee has cleverly paired<\/strong> this composition with images, creating a video to enhance the experience.<\/p>\n

Lee showcases her beautiful dark tone on all three instruments and her mastery of 20th-century techniques. Remote Together is a direct reflection of current society<\/strong> and nature\u2019s ability to adapt to surrounding circumstances.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Robert Ham, May 7, 2021 in Voice of Energy<\/strong><\/p>\n

Artistic responses to the pandemic are already plentiful, and there are surely more on the way. But I doubt that many will have the force of impact and emotional resonance of\u00a0Remote Together<\/em>,<\/strong> the latest solo endeavor by Portland musician\u00a0Catherine Lee.<\/p>\n

Though much of it was recorded before the world shut down, Lee\u2019s new album (out on May 21 through Redshift Music) is unmistakably shaded with the experiences of the past 14 months.<\/p>\n

The six pieces that she performs\u2014using either oboe, oboe d\u2019amore, or English horn\u2014work through themes of evolution as they place the reedy tones of her instruments against very modern sounds like synthesizer (played by Golden Retriever member Matt Carlson on his composition \u201cChiasmus\u201d) and electronic soundscapes. The discordance and beauty throughout are a perfect reflection of finding flickers of peace and comfort amid the nonstop madness.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Remote Together<\/em>\u00a0culminates in a remarkable closing statement<\/strong>. \u201cSilkys,\u201d a collaboration between Lee with composer Juniana Lanning, was initially meant to be performed live but became, as he calls it, a \u201cfixed media work,\u201d recorded during each the two artists\u2019 isolation.<\/p>\n

In the piece, Lee\u2019s oboe drifts through a bed of thrumming field recordings\u2014an attempt to musically re-create the development of a silkworm into the strangely beautiful domestic silkworm moth. It is as alien and initially unsettling as being caught in a box surrounded by the creatures, all of which are trying to find their way in. As with all of\u00a0Remote Together<\/em>, once I was acclimated to these sounds, I found a strange comfort within \u201cSilkys\u201d<\/strong> and have been returning to it regularly.<\/p>\n

\"\"Allan J. Cronin, August 4, 2021 in New Music Buff<\/a><\/strong>
Catherine\u2019s Oboe: Catherine Lee\u2019s New Solo Album, \u201cRemote Together\u201d<\/p>\n

I make reference to \u201cGabriel\u2019s Oboe\u201d (from the Morricone score to The Mission) in a slightly ironic way to introduce an album in which the artist, Dr. Catherine Lee is on a Mission of a different sort from that of Gabriel in the film. Lee\u2019s mission is the liberation and expansion of the role of her chosen instrument(s).<\/strong><\/p>\n

While many instruments fit comfortably into a solo role such as keyboard instruments, violins, and cellos this is not the case with the oboe and it\u2019s double reed relatives the oboe d\u2019amore and the english horn (Lee is a master of all of these). Indeed many instruments which have populated orchestras and chamber groups for ages have seldom if ever stood on their own. In a phenomenon which I term, \u201crefugees from the orchestra\u201d there have been many instances in which artists have taken their instruments out of the context of those ensembles and began to establish a performing tradition and commission a repertoire suitable for such a venture. In fact there are two west coast musicians who are renowned for their work in liberating their respective instruments from orchestras and into their own domains: Bertram Turetzky (professor emeritus at UC San Diego literally wrote the book on expanded techniques for double bass) and Stuart Dempster (trombonist extraordinaire who also \u201cwrote the book\u201d on the modern trombone). Dr. Lee is poised to make a similar mark on the musical world.<\/p>\n

Lee\u2019s previous album\u00a0reviewed here<\/a>, \u201cSocial Sounds\u201d (2013) focused on music by Canadian composers. The present album (released May, 2021) parallels the tenor of these crazy pandemic times in both title and content. Recorded mostly in 2019 it arguably has some prescience the way good art tends to achieve. Here she includes composers whose milieu includes northern California and the Pacific Northwest in addition to Canada. The six compositions represented here touch on many mythological and actual beings from whom the artists derive their inspiration. Dr. Lee was apparently pleased with my review of her first solo disc graciously sent me a copy of this new effort.<\/p>\n

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Now for the last 18 months I have been on a travel contract living and working near Tacoma, Washington. My tenure in my \u201cday job\u201d has run pretty much concurrently with the rise of the pandemic and its attendant restrictions. As a result I had not explored this beautiful area of the world until recently. I decided to remedy this by taking a car trip to explore a bit of the Olympic Peninsula, the westernmost portion of the lower 48 states, and I took this CD along to provide a soundtrack for my trip. This journey of two days took me around and through parts of the Olympic National Park and through various tribal lands where native peoples have lived for thousands of years. Throughout the drive I let the disc play repeatedly and found it curiously satisfying as a soundtrack for the images I saw through my windshield (I did not bring music along on my hikes). Metaphorically Lee accompanied me on this journey.<\/p>\n

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This disc also appears to derive inspiration from several musical mythologies and persons which are also associated with the regions which span from the San Francisco Bay Area north into the Oregon, Washington, and Canada. John Cage, Pauline Oliveros (Lee holds a certification in Oliveros\u2019 \u201cDeep Listening\u201d techniques), Harry Partch, Lou Harrison, Henry Cowell, spectralists (Wyschnedgradsky, Haba, Radulescu, etc.), Morton Feldman, Raymond Murray Schaeffer, Henry Brant and professor Lee who shares one of her own compositions much as she did on the first disc. There are six tracks containing six compositions which, though of different character, share a connection via the historical and mythological dimensions that comprise their roots. This is more about drones than rhythmic complexity and about images more than linear narratives.<\/p>\n

The recording begins with the only actual solo composition,\u00a0Jordan Nobles<\/a>\u2018 \u201cNocturne\u201d (2013). This is in fact a realization of a composition for a \u201cspatialized\u201d chamber group in which the instruments play \u201cself paced melodies\u201d. This track is a somber Cagean etude realized from this material for solo oboe. Spatial dynamics are the realm of both Raymond Murray Schaeffer as well as Henry Brant.<\/p>\n

The second track is by the only composer on this recording with whom I have some familiarity,\u00a0Dana Reason<\/a>, a pianist and sound artist with roots in (the now mythological) Mills College and who is also certified in Oliveros\u2019 \u201cDeep Listening\u201d. It is Pauline Oliveros whose spirit presides in this work. Her \u201cChanson de Fleurs: Eleanor of Aquitaine\u201d (2017) is a sort of sonic narrative for oboe and soundscape evoking the mythology of the medieval French Queen. This is music that skirts the boundaries between didacticism and program music. It evokes images of the archetype of the eternal feminine. It is a lush and evocative<\/strong> work that brought images to this listener\u2019s mind.<\/p>\n

Taylor Brook<\/a>\u2018s \u201cAlluvium\u201d (2017) is for oboe d\u2019amore, a slightly lower pitched version of the modern oboe which was popular in the baroque era. It includes an electronic accompaniment and plays on the tuning problems common to these woodwind instruments. The recorded tape is the foil against which the soloist plays and deals with the tuning issues which in turn results in spectral harmonies which are rich and beautiful<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Julian Snow<\/a>\u2018s \u201cRed Eyes, Green Lion\u2019s Teeth, Golden Heads\u201d (2017) is also for oboe d\u2019amore and recorded sounds. Here is a piece which ostensibly evokes the sprites and devas of \u201cthe flies and dandelions\u201d of the composer\u2019s back yard. Snow seems to channel the world music explorations of Henry Cowell and Lou Harrison in spirit.<\/p>\n

Matt Carlson<\/a>\u2018s \u201cChiasmus\u201d (2018) for English Horn and Synthesizer attempts to metaphorically use the literary device of Chiasmus (a type of repetition for emphasis like \u201call for one and one for all\u201d). This piece is, at 14:20, the longest piece on the disc. It consists of several short movements utilizing a minimalist dearth of materials to create variation structures. It is virtually a concerto whose virtuosic demands are interpretive rather than technical. It is a highly engaging piece that gave this listener joy in both passive and active listening<\/strong>. He seems to channel musical deities like Morton Feldman and Alan Hovhaness, a lovely experience.<\/p>\n

The final conjuring on this disc is by Catherine Lee who presents \u201cSilkys\u201d (2020) a meditation for oboe and environmental sounds, a collaboration with sound artist\u00a0Juniana Lanning<\/a>. This is a meditation on the life of the domestic silk moth, again a soundscape rather than a narrative. Dr. Lee\u2019s fascination with the natural world is also reflected in the cover art which is the artist\u2019s own photomicrograph of the exoskeleton of a bombyx mori.<\/p>\n

This is a subtle but widely embracing collection of music seems to be a logical next installment in Professor Lee\u2019s mission to lead her tribe of double reeds to a new vision appropriate to the new century. Brava! Long live Catherine\u2019s Oboe.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"Anna Rubin, Volume 27, No. 2 2021 in IAWM Journal (International Alliance for Women in Music)<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Catherine Lee\u2019s CD Remote Together showcases her solo performances for oboe, oboe d\u2019amore, and English horn. It is published by Redshift Records, an award-winning Canadian label specializing in contemporary music. Lee is currently on the faculty at Willamette University and has performed widely in classical, contemporary, interdisciplinary collaborations, and free improvisation settings. She is a founding member of the Hannafin Duo alongside percussionist Matt Hannafin.<\/p>\n

The CD features Lee in haunting, elegiac works that highlight her beautiful phrasing, ability to project a long melodic line, and considerable skill with microtonal shading and multiphonic production. Throughout, her virtuosity is apparent.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Alluvium, for oboe d\u2019amore and fixed media by Taylor Brook, was composed for Lee and truly showcases her skills and artistry. The piece is based around the concept of microtonal drift, which occurs when modulating to different keys in an extended just intonation context. The tonic gradually diverges from equal temperament. The fixed media contains a series of precisely tuned microtonal modulations and seems derived from reed instrumental samples. Lee navigates the work\u2019s tremolos, glissandi, timbral trills, and multiphonics with ease. The mood is one of serenity albeit with tension created by the close microtonal intervals. I found this piece to occupy the richest sound palette of the recording with its elegant drift<\/strong> between more and less consonant intervals.<\/p>\n

Julian Snow\u2019s Red Eyes, Green Lion\u2019s Teeth, Holden Heads, for oboe d\u2019amore and fixed media, is inspired by backyard flies and dandelions. The fixed media is dominated by whimsical, prepared piano- like sequences and again features multi- phonics and microtonal variations in held tones with an occasional florid melodic line and distorted flare up in the accompaniment. After a raw-sounding climax, the work closes delicately, as it began.<\/p>\n

Matt Carlson, synthesizer player and composer of Chaismus for English horn, writes that he \u201cwanted to see what could be done with two melodic voices…coming one after another without much continuity or development\u201d (liner notes). The oboe is the more active partner with the synth performer often playing one long or re- peated tone in a reed timbre per the English horn\u2019s melodic group. Chaismus is a literary device in which words or concepts are repeated in reverse order. In this work, a series of short duo melodies, bracketed by silence, are presented with variations in reverse chronological order.<\/p>\n

Chanson de Fleurs: Eleanor of Aquitaine and Silkys have specific programmatic intent, but without the program notes, the listener would not know that one is about Eleanor of Aquitaine and the other is about the life cycle of the domestic silk moth. There has been a longstanding tension in the classical tradition between so-called abstract work (traditionally, more highly valued) and programmatic music. With the addition of \u201creal world\u201d sound, as Catharine Norman labels it, in electronic music, the listener is invited to hear specific associations and narratives. Lee seems to be inhabiting a kind of liminal territory between the abstract and programmatic, where the electronic element provides elusive references. I will be interested to see if her future work with electronics and field recordings move her more in one direction or the other.<\/p>\n

Chanson de Fleurs: Eleanor of Aquitaine for oboe and soundscape was composed for the performer by Dana Reason and was created through a collaborative process. The oboe is in the foreground against an intermittent soundscape, which includes \u201cmanipulated field recordings, vocal samples and bird calls\u201d (liner notes). Roman- tic piano fragments appear occasionally as do noisy scrapes. About two-thirds into the piece, the noise element becomes more turgid, and a pulsing heartbeat occurs several times. Distorted vocal harmonies also distinguish the climax area, while the oboe floats above, serenely<\/strong>. The program notes indicate that the piece presents an \u201coscillation of all the elements,\u201d that it \u201ctraces the struggle between public and private life,\u201d and that it is \u201cthe embodiment of being, sounding, thinking and becoming.\u201d<\/p>\n

Silkys, for oboe and field recordings, was created by Lee in collaboration with Juliana Lanning. The oboe hovers above a noise-based texture in the mid-to-low register. Lee explores various microtonal shadings and multiphonics that suggest percussion. The work begins softly and gradually, the fixed media element becomes louder and then subsides. Suddenly, a loud, slowly recurring percussive blow is interjected. The oboe then plays a lengthy, delicate multiphonics passage accompanied by a slowly morphing noise that continuously underlays the high oboe tones. This element morphs into a higher, whirring sound. Its wide spectrum contrasts well with the focused high tones of the oboe. The liner notes state that the material is recorded from the bombyx silk moth \u201cthrough its developmental stages and eventual metamorphosis into an adult silkworm.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Guillermo Escudero, July 2021 in loop.cl<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Experienced oboist and renowned improviser Catherine Lee releases her second solo album, \u201cRemote Together,\u201d featuring field recordings, manipulated sounds, and electronics by Canadian and American composers residing in the Pacific Northwest. Lee has extensive experience in classical, contemporary, interdisciplinary collaborations, in free improvisation scenarios and is considered to be one of the “new generation of instrumental specialists”.<\/strong><\/p>\n

According to a Wikipedia description the oboe \u201cis above all a melodic instrument; it has a wild character, full of tenderness\u2026 \u201d. On “Nocturne – Nobles” although the melodies configure soft forms which are interrupted by disruptive electronic textures. On “Chanson de Fleurs: Eleanor of Aquitaine – Reason” the winged voices, throbbing rhythms and noises alternate with the sinuous oboe.<\/p>\n

“Silkys (2020) for oboe and field recordings” that closes this album continues with the dual character of this artist’s proposal, where on the one hand the oboe and the other wind instruments meander like sound waves and are like velvet tapestries, on the other, the manipulated field recordings form rough, raw layers and abrasive textures. Our protagonist creates abstract soundscapes with uncanny and unexpected forms that they adopt.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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James Bash, June 20, 2021 in Northwest Reverb<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

In new recording, Remote Together, oboist Lee explores more new territory. Meditative, contemplative, and set at unhurried pace, the music of oboist Catherine Lee on her latest recording, \u201cRemote Together,\u201d takes listeners on a journey that meshes sounds that you might hear in a recital hall or a studio with sounds from that might come from the forest or the riverside.<\/strong> This album follows an adventurous path<\/strong>, that Lee established with her debut release of \u201cSocial Sounds\u201d on the Teal Cree Music label, back in 2013. For readers who are not familiar with Lee, she is a veteran freelancer and teaches at Willamette University, Western Oregon University, and George Fox University.<\/p>\n

All of the pieces in \u201cRemote Together\u201d feature composers from Canada and the U.S. who live in the Pacific Northwest. Several numbers were commissioned by Lee, and some were recorded before the pandemic.<\/p>\n

Beginning with \u201cNocturne,\u201d written by Jordan Nobles in 2013, Lee puts us in familiar territory, generating a warm tone on her oboe and a beautiful melody<\/strong> that seems to begin to search for something different. This is followed by Dana Reason\u2019s \u201cChanson de Fleurs \u2013 Eleanor of Aquitaine\u201d (2017), which was inspired by the mediaeval queen who was imprisoned by her husband, King Henry II of England for about 16 years because she supported his overthrow by one of their sons. Reason\u2019s piece has an element of sadness and a firm heartbeat that goes away and then returns after a sonic avalanche occurs, which evokes the image of Eleanor of Aquitaine achieving freedom from prison.<\/p>\n

In Taylor Brook\u2019s \u201cAlluvium\u201d (2017), the deeper-sounding oboe d\u2019amore shifts about in microtones, accompanied by a drone of electronics. \u201cRed Eyes, Green Lion\u2019s Teeth, Golden Heads,\u201d created by Julian snow for oboe d\u2019amore and tape in 2017, has sounds vaguely oriental and mysterious. Rounding out the CD is Matt Carlson\u2019s \u201cChiasmus\u201d (2018), which uses the English horn and synthesizer to evoke an interior monologue and a haunting atmosphere. Lee teamed up with Juniana Lanning to create \u201cSilkys\u201d (2020), which offers intriguing field recordings of real silk moths. The oboe sides between tones and wiggles, perhaps in imitation of a silk worm. Lee also uses extended techniques to produce some unusual sounds that make this listener wonder how she does it.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/strong><\/p>\n

Baze Djunkiii, May 15, 2021 in Nitestylez.de<\/strong><\/p>\n

Coming in via mail from Portland, Oregon these days is<\/p>\n

“Remote Together”, the new and forthcoming album effort created by American improviser, oboist – and Doctor Of Music –\u00a0Catherine Lee<\/a>. Scheduled for release via\u00a0Redshift Records<\/u>\u00a0on May 21st, 2k21\u00a0Catherine Lee<\/a>‘s sophomore longplay outing is based on a foundation of oboe, english horn and the rare oboe d’amore in combination with Field Recordings, electronics and manipulated sound. Based on this combination we see the artist explore several compositions written with her in mind by the likes of Jordan Nobles, Dana Reason, Taylor Brook, Julian Snow and Matt Carlson as well presenting a piece she perceived alongside Juniana Lanning, talking the concluding “Silkys” here which is, and what a great inspiration this is<\/strong>, by the life cycle of the domestic silk moth. This being said,\u00a0Lee<\/a>\u00a0touches base with a classically inspired, touching solo performance in “Nocturne”, pairs her instrument of choice with minimalist background electronics as well as a collage of mostly nature-leaning Field Recordings – think: rainfall, crickets, jungle sounds etc. – in “Chanson De Fleurs: Eleanor Of Aquitaine” to create a beautiful sonic score with a slightly eerie, uncanny undertone<\/strong> caused by various disturbances and harsher one-off events of unclear origin before “Alluvium” indulges deeply in somewhat droning, score’esque as well as slightly Dark Ambient-infused melancholia with an innate sense for intricate, interwoven harmonic drama. Furthermore “Red Eyes, Green Lion’s Teeth, Golden Heads” is a well fascinating tale for oboe d’amore and tape which relies on somewhat of a call-and-response resembling interplay between the live instrument and the pre-recorded medium featuring a ruminant, slightly ritualistic music evoking memories of Asian temples and ceremonies,<\/strong> “Chiasmus” approaches a concept of ever evolving, emotionally touching melodic patterns<\/strong> in combination with extended breaks and short periods of silence whereas the aforementioned “Silkys” caters a crackly, partially dubbed out and probably Max\/MSP generated electronic backdrop for\u00a0Catherine Lee<\/a>‘s hovering, floating, and somewhat outerworldly<\/strong> oboe performance to create a piece that truly exceeds the dimensions of space and time. Highly recommended, this.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Brian Cutean, April 28, 2021 in SE Examiner\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Oboist and renowned improviser Catherine Lee releases her second album, Remote Together, this month. On this recording, Lee\u2019s pure, clear oboe sound is recorded so well, the breath is a main instrument, transporting the listener to the outside world of musical counterpoint, birds, wind and wingsound.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s a compelling evolutionary journey of spacious deep beauty \u2013 explorative, moving and cathartic.<\/strong> The sonics of the oboe, oboe d\u2019amore and English horn are integrated with field recordings, manipulated sounds and electronics \u2013 all featuring Lee, whose tone, timbre and melodic inventions are impeccable in this graceful listening journey.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThrough the album, we move through moments of stillness and moments of activity, periods of disconnection juxtaposed with times of deep connection, from a dreamlike orientation to a fresh space,\u201d she said. \u201cThe sound worlds contained are somehow very micro and macro at the same time, similar to the way in which the pandemic has shaped our culture and realities. Forever changed, we experience new orientations to the world around us.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Full Reviews of “Social Sounds”:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"Grego Edwards, January 19, 2016 in Gapplegate Classical-Modern Music Review\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

If the tides change constantly, fashions nearly as much, and political-historical events ebb and flow continually, there are some things with which we perforce ground our lives within us. One of those for many is music and the happy fact is that there is no shortage of it. New music and old music revisited abound, in a continual flow. It keeps me going through all seasons, a bitter cold dawn and its wonderfully colorful sunrise this morning being no exception.<\/p>\n

A superior instrumentalist<\/strong> greets the sunrise for me, one Catherine Lee, an oboist of stature in an evocative program of new music for oboe solo,\u00a0Social Sounds<\/em>\u00a0(Teal Creek Music 2035). There are five works by contemporary modern composers, one for oboe d’amore and tape, one for English horn, the rest for oboe proper.<\/p>\n

Dr. Lee has a ravishing, declamatory tone and absolute control over her instrument<\/strong>, whether the work calls for extended techniques or less so. The modern extensions of tone production integrate themselves into conventional soundings on these works and Catherine negotiates them with ease, incorporating them into the fanfare-like extroversions and the more introspective passages with absolute musicality<\/strong>. Harmonics, alternate fingerings that lead to subtle shifts in timbre and microtonal differences, pitch bends, all are made an integral part of each compositional whole.<\/p>\n

The works are given dramatic, rhapsodically lyrical realizations without fail. We are treated to “Still” (2006) by Dorothy Chang, “Rafales” (2007) by Jerome Blais, “Plainsong” (2004) for English Horn by Tawnie Olson, “Social sounds from whales at night” (2007) by Emily Doolittle (whose music we have encountered here before–type her name in the search box above) for oboe d’amore and tape (providing us with some extraordinary whale soundings–sequenced and somewhat transformed if I am not mistaken–to accompany fittingly the instrumental part), and “A Tiny Dance” (2008) by Catherine Lee.<\/p>\n

The scores allow varying degrees of improvisation on the part of the performer. Catherine’s experience in classical-modern and free-improvisatory settings serves her well. She is a founding member of the Blue Box Ensemble and forms half of the Catherine Lee + Matt Hannafin Duo. Her doctoral dissertation centered around 18th century virtuoso performers and their interactions with audiences and heightened her interest in the role of improvisation. McGill University (Montreal) awarded her a Doctorate for her work there.<\/p>\n

The compositions have thematic underpinnings. Dorothy Chang’s work was inspired by “Red-Black,” a painting by Lawrence Calcagno that hangs in the Empire State Plaza, Albany. Jerome Blais was inspired by the many variations of wind he experienced when he moved to Halifax, Nova Scotia. Tawnie Olson’s piece treats structural aspects of plainchant types performed in the Night Office. Emily Doolittle crafts an evocative soundscape around night sounds whales communicate with. It was originally for soprano and tape but Ms. Doolittle adapted the vocal part for oboe d’amore at Catherine’s request. It bears the transition quite well! Dr. Lee wrote “A Tiny Dance” for two dancers who designed their dance patterns around performing in a restricted space with a number of natural and man-made obstacles. It was performed as part of the dance piece “Wet?” at Ten Tiny Dances Waterfront Project in Portland, Oregon.<\/p>\n

The beautiful artistry of Catherine Lee ultimately breathes vital life into the music. It is music to beguile and uplift the spirits. It is modern yet lyrical. It is a stunning feather in Ms. Lee’s very musical hat. Recommended strongly for double-reed enthusiasts and modernists of all stripes.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"Allan J. Cronin, April 1, 2016 in New Music Buff
<\/strong>Getting the Oboe (et al) to Stand on Its Own, Catherine Lee<\/p>\n

Connections can be fascinating and not long after publishing my review of Emily Doolittle\u2019s release here\u00a0I received, in addition to a stunning number of readers for that article, a CD by one of her fellow musicians featuring another of Doolittle\u2019s interesting works alongside four other works for solo oboe (or English Horn or Oboe d\u2019amore). \u00a0Though certainly kind and timely I did not relish the idea of being subjected to even this short CD single of a soloist with no accompanying musicians playing a series of unknown soliloquies. \u00a0My concern was that of having to endure the sincere efforts of a musician who is convinced of her instruments\u2019 solo potentials and who labors to prove this to all but hardly gets past technical achievement like a recording I once heard of the Bach Cello Suites played on a Double Bass, interesting as a technical achievement but\u2026<\/p>\n

My fears were clearly unfounded as I listened to each track. \u00a0Patience turned to excitement and I think I\u2019ve now heard a sort of new breed of instrumental specialist. \u00a0Lee plays oboe as well as the closely related English Horn and the very little known Oboe d\u2019amore with expertise.<\/strong> \u00a0But she is not a specialist in the \u201cperiod ensemble\u201d genre per se. Rather her focus is on the potentialities of her instruments as vehicles for new music, improvisation and solo performances. \u00a0There seems to be little threat of a forthcoming rendition of the Telemann Flute Fantasies played on one or all of those. \u00a0Instead we have a gifted musician who seems poised to shepherd these instruments into new adventures in the 21st century.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The album consists of 5 tracks, all less than nine minutes in duration but each is a fully realized composition lovingly interpreted by this performer. \u00a0I am only familiar with one of the composers here, Emily Doolittle whose Social Sounds from Whales at Night (2007) is the only track which features any accompaniment. \u00a0It is a good example of Doolittle\u2019s potentially groundbreaking work with animal sounds. \u00a0The other tracks manage to rise above the level of mere effects-ridden etudes to the level of compositions that define their own sound world and subjugate that world to artistic expression. \u00a0Very interesting listening.<\/strong><\/p>\n

From the first track it is clear that this is a musician with a deep understanding of the expressive possibilities of her instruments<\/strong> in both traditional and extended techniques as well as a clear sense of how to find music of substance. \u00a0Her playing sounds effortless suggesting that she puts a great deal of time into honing her virtuosity but she clearly moves beyond the technical to master the expressive range.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I would certainly be willing to hear just about anything Ms. Lee chooses to play<\/strong> including the relatively obscure repertoire for the oboe d\u2019amore but I have my fingers crossed that we may get to hear her tackling concertos by Morton Feldman, Vincent Persichetti, Witold Lutoslawski and Hans Werner Henze, big projects that are nice to hope for but we do see that her ear for the smaller projects is clearly golden.<\/p>\n

\"\"Jeanne Belfy, Vol 40 No. 2, 2017 in The Double Reed <\/strong>
<\/em><\/p>\n

Catherine Lee has a unique perspective and an original voice<\/strong> in the community of North American oboists, and\u00a0social sounds<\/em>\u00a0is a different kind of recording. I can listen to it and be completely and inexplicably at peace.<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0Five pieces for the three sizes of oboe, unaccompanied except for one that uses pre-recorded sounds from nature, move comfortably from one to the next with plenty of space to breath.<\/p>\n

Here are the composers:\u00a0\u00a0Dorothy Chang, with degrees from University of Michigan and Indiana University, teaches at the University of British Columbia.\u00a0\u00a0Her\u00a0still<\/em>\u00a0(2006) sets the CD\u2019s contemplative mood with quiet explorations of false fingerings and pitch bends, holding on to enough motivic consistency to give a sense of organic growth.\u00a0\u00a0Lee\u2019s fluid, graceful timbre has just the right amount of energy,<\/strong> moving the four-minute piece along to its concluding multiphonic.\u00a0\u00a0J\u00e9r\u00f4me Blais, a McGill and University of Montreal-trained Canadian composer, now teaches at Dalhousie University in Halifax.\u00a0\u00a0Catherine Lee chose his\u00a0Rafales<\/em>\u00a0(2007) to follow\u00a0still<\/em>, and it raises the complexity and range of expression by using spatial relationships through choreography for the oboist, captured by her variable distance from the microphone as well as a depressed piano sustain pedal, which is the piano\u2019s only contribution. The work\u2019s context is the changing wind of Halifax, but the performer must interpret this through her own improvisations, derived from Blais\u2019 \u201cframework of pitches and gestures.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0This Catherine Lee does most beautifully, varying timbre and resonance with great thoughtfulness, and staging the progress from section to section effectively in time.\u00a0\u00a0Her palette widens in dynamics, register, and range of tone quality, but again with a fluid, natural trajectory.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Canadian Tawnie Olson holds degrees from Calgary, Yale, and the University of Toronto, and teaches composition adjunctly at the Hartt School.\u00a0\u00a0Plainsong<\/em>\u00a0(2004) for solo English horn showcases Lee\u2019s gorgeous, floating breath support,<\/strong> even more strikingly than do the previous oboe works.\u00a0\u00a0The tonal focus of her English horn is especially beautiful from note to note.<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0The little piece is over all too soon, and the larger composition that follows calls for oboe d\u2019amore.\u00a0\u00a0Lee\u2019s careful programming order contributes to the meditative\u00a0\u00a0atmosphere<\/strong> of the CD; the ears are not ready to move right back to the oboe after the English horn work , and the d\u2019amore provides a gentle transition.\u00a0\u00a0Social sounds from whales at night<\/em>\u00a0(2007) by Emily Doolittle also features a recorded mix of humpback whale song, along with sounds of grey seal, sperm whale, and musician wren (Youtube it\u2014this is an amazing bird!).\u00a0\u00a0The oboist plays bamboo chimes and ocean drum along with the oboe d\u2019amore, whose part is transcribed from a vocal original.\u00a0\u00a0Again, the player uses the composer\u2019s melodic sketch while making improvisational decisions concerning how far to warp the traditional pitches with extended techniques.\u00a0\u00a0There is considerable true interplay, in real time, between the player and the recording, and a cadenza-like section near the end when Lee has made most of the musical choices herself.\u00a0\u00a0The nearly nine-minute work hypnotically increases in agitation, and then suddenly dissipates with a fragment of an old sea shanty.\u00a0\u00a0Composer and zoomusicologist Doolittle is a research fellow at the Royal Conservatory of Scotland in Glasgow.\u00a0\u00a0Originally from Halifax, she studied at Dalhousie University, the Koninklijk Conservatorium in the Hague, Indiana University, and Princeton University.<\/p>\n

The final track was composed by the oboist herself as a dance accompaniment for a choreography entitled\u00a0Wet?<\/em>\u00a0by POV dance as performed at the Portland, Oregon, Ten Tiny Dances South Waterfront Dance Project in 2008.\u00a0\u00a0Called\u00a0a tiny dance<\/em>, the five-minute work is as meditative and beautiful as everything else on the album.\u00a0Catherine Lee describes the liberating limitations of the material she chose: \u201cthe note b1<\/sup>, which has the most timbral fingerings on the oboe; the interval of the tritone, to create a feeling of reaching; and finally, the whole-tone scale . . .\u201d\u00a0\u00a0The rhythmic movement is relaxed and adjusted to the choreography.<\/p>\n

Catherine Lee earned her DM in Oboe Performance and BM from McGill University,\u00a0\u00a0and her MM and Performer Diploma from Indiana University; she cites among her oboe teachers Theodore Baskin, Normand Forget, and Bruce Haynes.\u00a0\u00a0She is also a licensed Andover Educator (Body Mapping).\u00a0\u00a0social sounds<\/em>\u00a0is an album I have listened to more often than any other for the past eight months or so.\u00a0\u00a0Lasting only a little over thirty minutes, it puts me in a uniquely healthy frame of mind.\u00a0\u00a0I\u2019ll leave it to bigger brains to explain exactly why, but between the immaculate, masterful oboe playing<\/strong> and the fresh, un-encumbered musical ideas,<\/strong> the aesthetic of Catherine Lee\u2019s work speaks to what I need.\u00a0\u00a0Her music creates space for healing.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"James Bash, September 5, 2016 in Northwest Reverb<\/strong><\/p>\n

Catherine Lee\u2019s \u201csocial sounds\u201d CD explores new sonic territory for the oboe<\/p>\n

Earlier this year, oboist Catherine Lee released her debut solo album, fearlessly probing unusual sonic textures of new works.<\/strong> Entitled \u201csocial sounds,\u201d the recording contains pieces for solo oboe by Dorothy Chang, Jerome Blais, Tawnie Olson, Emily Doolittle, and Lee that venture off-road into unusual tonal landscapes. The exploratory nature of the music on the CD plays well in Lee\u2019s hands,<\/strong> because she has a lot of experience with the improvisation, having performed in ensembles led by noted improvisers, such as John Gruntfest, Gino Robair, and Tatsuya Nakatani. Lee has an extensive background as a freelance oboist and teaches at Willamette University, Western Oregon University and George Fox University.<\/p>\n

The album\u2019s title, \u201csocial sounds,\u201d refers to Emily Doolittle\u2019s \u201cSocial sounds from the whales at night\u201d (2007). It features Lee playing the oboe d\u2019amore to tape recordings of humpback, grey seal, and sperm whales. The whale sounds start out in the background as Lee casts a plaintive obbligato into the foreground. It is not long before her phrases and those of the whales seem to play with each other \u2013 a sort of communion in the midst of the ocean.<\/p>\n

Lee\u2019s performance of \u201cStill\u201d by Dorothy Chang (2006) creates a contemplative yet abstract mood in which tonality shifts back and forth as if from exterior to interior. Notes seem to sag and then leap forward in a spontaneous way that finally ends with a strange, mircrotonal buzz.<\/p>\n

Lee gives Jerome Blais\u2019s \u201cRafales\u201d (2007) a wonderfully unhurried pace that allows notes to linger.<\/strong> Some of the notes have a long hang time and blur harmonically into the oncoming melodic line. A perky series of notes briefly gains enough momentum to contrast well with the predominantly forlorn sounds, including the eerily hollow tone at the end of the piece.<\/p>\n

In Tawnie Olson\u2019s \u201cPlainsong\u201d (2004), Lee offers a contemplative atmosphere that reflects the chants of medieval monks \u2013 although the piece has no direct quotes. Lee\u2019s use of the English horn evokes a vocal quality that fits the music extremely well.<\/strong><\/p>\n

For the “Ten Tiny Dances South Waterfront Project” in 2008, Lee wrote \u201ca tiny dance,\u201d and, in this recording, she strikes a delicate balance between small movements and larger ones.<\/strong> Overall, the piece has an introspective nature that must have worked well for the dancers, who (according to the liner notes) \u201cwere restricted to moving within a space of four square feet that also contained a cement ledge, a banister, and a section of a small waterfall.<\/p>\n

So if you are feeling adventurous, try “social sounds,” which is available through\u00a0CD Baby<\/a>,Teal Creek Music<\/a>, and the\u00a0Canadian Music Centre<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"Elliot Wright, February 23, 2016 in The WholeNote<\/strong><\/p>\n

The difficulty and excitement of a solo instrumental performance arises from the fact that the entire sound envelope is, from beginning to end, from top to bottom, exposed. A note\u2019s attack, its approach towards silence, the sound of keys, the performer\u2019s breath \u2013 all these come under the listener\u2019s scrutiny, amplified by the surrounding stillness. On\u00a0social sounds<\/em><\/a>, Portland oboist Catherine Lee, instead of merely navigating these choppy waters, makes them her destination. Almost all of the pieces feature an improvisatory aspect, tools which Lee uses to prod the boundaries of her instrument\u2019s sound.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The first such piece presented here is J\u00e9r\u00f4me Blais\u2019\u00a0Rafales<\/em>. Scored for solo oboe and piano with depressed sustain pedal, the work is this disc\u2019s standout. Inspired by the composer\u2019s encounters with Nova Scotian wind, Blais supplies the performer only with loosely defined long-tone gestures, leaving their lengths at the performer\u2019s discretion. These, combined with the timbral shifts caused by the choreographed movement of the oboe in relationship to the microphone, result in a gripping tension: Lee\u2019s tone, at first pushed and pulled along its edges, finally disintegrates into the murk of sympathetic vibrations with the piano.<\/p>\n

A similar effect is achieved in Emily Doolittle\u2019s\u00a0Social sounds from whales at night<\/em>, only here it\u2019s improvised timbral fingerings and pitch bends which cause the tension, and pre-recorded whale sounds rising to the ocean\u2019s surface which give release. The sum of these is a CD as compelling as it is eminently listenable.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/strong><\/p>\n

Brett Campbell, December 28, 2016 in Oregon Arts Watch<\/strong>
Oregon new music recordings 2016: Small beauties
<\/strong><\/p>\n

You might think a solo album by an oboist would grow a little texturally tedious, but Lee actually plays several related instruments and uses electronics and the stylistic differences among the five 21st<\/sup>\u00a0century composers to present a relatively broad sonic spectrum, and she has the chops to make it all sound good.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve written admiringly here of Lee\u2019s earlier performances of Emily Doolitle\u2019s plaintive, haunting\u00a0Social Sounds from whales at Night\u00a0<\/em>for oboe d\u2019amore and tape in recent live performances. Dorothy Chang\u2019s\u00a0Still<\/em>\u00a0uses little melodic and timbral filigrees to ornament a placid core melody, sometimes reminiscent of the traditional Chinese dizhi flute, though not as shrill, and here conjuring more contemplative mood. Another solo oboe piece, Tawnie Olson\u2019s\u00a0Plainsong<\/em>,\u00a0<\/em>finds a similar mood from very different sources: medieval sacred chant.<\/p>\n

Lee created her own whimsical\u00a0a tiny dance<\/em>\u00a0to accompany a 2008 installment of Portland\u2019s ever-popular\u00a0Ten Tiny Dances,\u00a0<\/em>and it charms even without the movements, and waterfall, that inspired it. The longest track, J\u00e9r\u00f4me Blais\u2019s\u00a0Rafales<\/em>, was inspired by coastal winds, allows improvisation (so no two performances are identical), and is inflected by both Lee\u2019s dancing while playing (as the score instructs, though presumably that was more for live performances), and a resonating piano whose sustain pedal is depressed throughout the performance. It affords Lee room to cut loose both tonally and melodically, and she takes full advantage, and though it drags a bit, Lee\u2019s firm tone and nuanced dynamics and phrasing add depth, here and throughout this sonorous\u00a0solo album.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Reviews of “Five Shapes”:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"lee:hannafin\"<\/p>\n

Brett Campbell, December 28, 2015 in Oregon Arts Watch<\/strong>
Oregon music on record 2015: Contemporary classical
Catherine Lee + Matt Hannafin Duo<\/p>\n

This suite of free improvisations for oboe d\u2019amore and percussion, recorded at Hudson Concert Hall in Salem, unites two of Oregon\u2019s most experienced improvising musicians. Lee has performed\u00a0both improvised and composed music at festivals and concerts around the world and with the Oregon Symphony and Portland Opera orchestras. Hannafin studied with legendary Indian vocalist and teacher Pran Nath, minimalist pioneer La Monte Young, Iranian percussion master Kavous Shirzadian and more, and collaborated with musicians from the worlds of electronic, jazz and other improvised music.<\/p>\n

Hannafin\u2019s world music background may explain why much of this quintessentially now music, made up entirely in the moment, is so redolent of traditional music from non Western cultures like Japan and Korea, India and the Middle East. That breadth of influence suits Lee\u2019s ability to make her archaic but alluring instrument \u2014 a staple of J.S. Bach and other Baroque composers \u2014 sound like so many other double reed and other sound sources from various traditions, from shofar to Balkan and Persian instruments. Add Hannafin\u2019s varied percussion palette and the pair\u2019s inventive musical imagination, and\u00a0Five Shapes<\/em>\u00a0delivers a surprisingly multifarious experience. It\u2019s less about whirlwind virtuosity than atmosphere, concocted from long tones, judicious use of musical space and silence, and intriguing musical choices that rarely sound studied; the music seldom stalls despite the fact that all the takes are unedited documents<\/strong> of what sprang from their imaginations on that late summer afternoon.<\/p>\n\n

\n
\"lee:hannafin\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Sean Ongley, January 11, 2017<\/strong> in Thru Media<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Prime Sound of Lee\/Hannafin Duo
PORTLAND IMPROVISERS DR. CATHERINE LEE AND MATT HANNAFIN\u2019S SELF-RELEASED LP FIVE SHAPES<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Five Shapes lulls the mind with its gentle spaciousness<\/strong> into a personal creative space<\/strong>. It is five improvisations of nameless shapes, making one whole prime number.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In case you forgot, five cannot be divided by any other whole number (hence prime). Recorded live in one take at Hudson Concert Hall in Salem, Oregon, these five shapes cannot be repeated, nor can you easily find repetition (or a divisible portion) within it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Deep natural reverberations<\/strong> wash over Catherine Lee\u2019s oboe d\u2019amore, giving harmony to Hannafin\u2019s percussive backbone. It\u2019s like he provides a timeline so that she can imagine characters and express them as moods. The arch of each shape can be heard as a story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The music that happened that day was stripped to the bare essentials \u2014 not too conceptual. The songs clock in just between 9-10 minutes, each of them. They are named simply, \u201cShape 1,\u201d \u201cShape, 2,\u201d for a total of five.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By removing audience applause, it sounds like a studio album, but the comforting hum of the concert hall reminds you that you\u2019re in a place, versus the sonic vacuum of a proper studio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve enjoyed my copy of this release for, coincidentally, five months. That\u2019s a good thing. It gives me the benefit of long-term listening. It has become a favorite album at the desk, writing, researching, or really anything that involves analytic thought. <\/p>\n\n\n\n


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PRESS On a \u201cmission to lead her tribe of double reeds to a new vision appropriate to the new century. Brava! Long live Catherine\u2019s Oboe.\u201d – New Music Buff, 2021 \u201cthe inherent beauty of her instruments\u2019 timbres are maximized by the musicality she brings to even the most experimental setting. Her instruments allow for such…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-568","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","no-post-thumbnail","post-grid-3-col","entry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t