"Unencumbered Sound"

a guide to Iancu Dumitrescu and Ana-Maria Avram

Although two of the most compelling and exciting living composers (at least in my opinion), the work of Romanian composers Iancu Dumitrescu and Ana-Maria Avram remain largely unknown and underappreciated. I have thus made this web site to provide what little info I know and promote their amazing music. Please email me with any updates, corrections, or additions.

Josh Ronsen / jronsen@flash.net
last update on 26 December 2002

Avram and Dumitrescu have their own website, which details their activities as composers, as members of the Hyperion Esemble and publishers of Edition Modern.

News!

Edition Modern 1017 has just been released, with 3 pieces by ID, and 2 pieces by AMA! The two interviews with AMA and ID, translated from French from their website, are finally finished! Click here to read them.

Interviews

Interview with AMA in Bananafish 15
Interview with AMA in Musicworks #76 (translated from the French by me!). Musicworks should soon post the revised French version of it. The old French version is here.
Abstract to interview with ID and AMA in Musicworks #71.
Interview with ID published in Bananafish #12 that was originally published in French in Revue et Corgiee #29.
Interview with ID at Perfect Sound Forever and at London Musicians's Collective (this appeared in Resonance 6.1)
Interview with ID in French on the Edition Modern website. An English translation, translated by me, exisits.
Interview with ID and AMA in French here. An English translation, translated by me, exisits.
Interview with AMA on the history of Romanian music in French here. How 'bout someone else translating this?

Discography

Dumitrescu's Works	Avram's Works	other's works	label catalog#
Apogeum, Reliefs, Bas Reliefs, Alternances I-II	.	.	Electrocord LP SST-CS 0191
Medium II, Cogito	.	works by Nemescu, Cazaban and Surianu	Electrecord 2LP 10981/82
Medium II, Cogito	.	.	Editions RZ LP 1001
Multiple I-III	.	.	CBS/Escargot LP ESC 325
Aulodie Mioritica (Gamma), Ursa Mare (Grande Ourse)	.	.	Electrecord LP 02720
Aulodie Mioritica (Gamma), Ursa Mare (Grande Ourse)	.	.	Editions RZ LP 2001
Movemur et Sumus	.	works by Nemescu, Niculescu and Cezar	Electrecord LP 01754
Barryphonie (Alea)	.	works by Popovici and Decoust	Electrecord LP ?????
Nimbus, Zenith	.	.	Generations Unlimited LP gulp 1005
Monades (Alpha) & (Beta)	.	works by Prescot	Generations Unlimited LP gulp 1006
Medium III, Cogito/Trompe l'Oeil, Aulodie Mioritica, Perspectives au Movemur, Apogeum	.	.	Edition Modern CD 1001
Au dela de Movemur, Monades	Ekagrata, Eignum Gemini, Zodiaque III	.	Edition Modern CD 1002
Pierres Sacrées, Harryphonies (alpha), Grande Ourse, Harryphonies (epsilon)	.	.	Edition Modern CD 1003
Astrée Lointaine, Holzwege	Archae	Astalos's Symetries	Edition Modern CD 1004
Galaxy, Movemur et Sumus III, Reliefs II, Memorial Alternances, Basoreliefs Symphoniques	.	.	Edition Modern CD 1005
A Priori, 5 Implosions, Mythos	De Sacrae Lamentationem, Icarus	.	Edition Modern CD 1006
Mnemosyne, Impulse, Clusterum I	Quatre Etudes d'Ombre, Asonant III, Metaboles	.	Edition Modern CD 1007
Holzwge Kronos, Fluxus, Sirius Kronos Quartet	Ikarus II, On the Abolition of the Soul	.	Edition Modern CD 1008
Ouranos II, Gnosis, Orion I and II	Swarms III, Labyrinth I	.	Edition Modern CD 1009
Meteors & Pulsars, Profondis, Origo	Chaosmos, Axe	.	Edition Modern CD 1010
Meteors & Pulsars II	Nouvel Axe	works by Cutler and Hodgkinson	Edition Modern CD 1011
Etioles Brisees I & II	Anamorphosis, Seconde Axe	.	Edition Modern CD 1012
Pulses and Universe Reborn, New Zenith	New Archae, Axe	.	Edition Modern CD 1013
Eon I - Dans un Desordre Absolu, Temps Condenses, Eon II	Orbit of Eternal Grace, Ascent	.	Edition Modern CD 1014
Oiseaux Celestes, Colossus	New Arcana, Ec-Static Crickets II, "Horridas Nostrae Mentis Purga Tenebras"	.	Edition Modern CD 1015
Soleil Explosant I, New Meteors I, Multiples I (from Escargot LP), Oiseaux Celestes II	Traces Sillons Sillages, Doryphones I	.	Edition Modern CD 1016
Object Sonore Mysterieux I-II, Diachronies III (Op.1b)	Telesma II, Apokatastasis	.	Edition Modern CD 1017
Fluxus 3 (live excerpt)	.	works by others	Resonance 6.1 CD
Ouranos I (live excerpt)	.	works by others	Bananafish 12 CD
.	?	works by others	Radio France??? CD
.	Axe 2	works by others	Musicworks 71 CD
.	Ec-static Crickets	works by others	Musicworks 76 CD
.	Etude (I)	works by others	Bananafish 15 CD

These records can be ordered through Anomolous Records, Sonic Tiger or Forced Exposure in the USA. In Europe, ReR (who have co-released 6 of the Editions Modern CD's) and V2_Archief have these recordings. In Canada, Verge. For recommendations on individual items, I have not been disappointed on any of the pieces I have heard, but I can still vividly remember hearing the solo bass piece Medium for the first time on the Editions RZ LP.

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