Tarogato Constructions

Rural tradition meets hi tech in this pairing of extremes by master improvisor, Esther Lamneck. Both provocative and mesmerizing, her agility on this underappreciated folk instrument is without equal. When interfaced with live electronic processing, furthermore, she surely reaches sonic territories where no one has gone before. Six electroacoustic composers, from Italy to Brazil, and her home base in New York, have collaborated with Lamneck on this journey.

The tárogató is a single reed woodwind instrument with a hauntingly beautiful sound. It is originally a folk instrument from the regions of Hungary and Romania whose music has been handed down aurally; references to folk art and gypsy melodies are woven throughout this album. The instrument provides a rich sound, full of harmonics, and Lamneck has managed to extend the range by an octave. Because it does not have the extensive key mechanism of a clarinet or saxophone, there are many glissandos and otherwise impossible techniques available.

Lamneck explains, “In this album, Tárogató Constructions, each composer has designed a musical world which reacts to what I play by triggering electronic sounds which then influence the direction of my improvisational composition. All of these musical environments have propelled me to use the extreme sonic possibilities of the tárogató.”

The New York Times has called Esther Lamneck “an astonishing virtuoso”. She has an active career as a soloist and is the director of the Woodwind program at NYU.