Paula Matthusen · Composer

The idea of working with self-imposed constraints as a creative strategy has often been appealing to me, especially as the technologies enabling sonic transformation have become increasingly flexible and available. of an implacable subtraction grew out of a series of improvisations with Dana Jessen, whose seemingly limitless range of extended techniques for the bassoon similarly enables numerous worlds of timbral possibility. Through the course of collaboration, the piece evolved into three distinct incarnations – one purely improvisatory, another exploring the resonances of the instrument and the room through feedback and live-sampling, and the final version included in this portfolio is a scored piece for fixed media and bassoon.

The title is drawn from Julio Cortázar’s landmark work, Hopscotch. The piece does not so much follow the structure or thematic content of the book, but moreover engages with the idea of defining various points of focus and the salient nonlinearities that may emerge between them. Initial development of the piece began through a residency at Centro Mexicano para la Música y las Artes Sonoras (CMMAS) and the piece was completed during a fellowship at the American Academy in Rome.

of an implacable subtraction is featured on the album Carve.