Gavin Bryars - Through the Night (Conventa del Carmen)

This recording involves Roger Heaton and Gavin Bryars, on bass clarinet and double bass respectively, playing long, slow music through the night - extended versions of laude - from midnight to 4:30am, in specific locations within the Conventa del Carmen, a disused religious building in Valencia. The recording was by Chris Ekers, using a 'dummy head' microphone system and is best listened to on headphones to give the experience of 360-degree sound. In most of these pieces they were placed on opposite sides of a long rectangular space - facing each other or playing into alcoves in the walls, thereby generating reflected sounds. Others were made in a large space, a former refectory.

This way of recording very late at night is similar to what they did for Gavin Bryars' installation in the Chateau d'Oiron, A Listening Room (Chambre d'�coute) . This can still be heard in a special room in the chateau, and the recording is available on GB Records (BCGDCD08).

Roger Heaton: bass clarinet
Gavin Bryars: double bass