Photo by Alexis O'Hara
“ Much of the time I’m dealing with sound in space. How the sound begins, its duration, decay, volume and its quality. I’m interested in finding ways of playing that are not governed by obvious interaction, gesture or energy. I’m also exploring how a sound relates to a space, fellow musician or the audience.”
Rhodri Davies, interview, The Sound Projector, Issue 13, 2005
“Rhodri Davies' "Perdereau" belongs more to the domain of composition than improvisation - though, as I've argued on numerous occasions, the distinction is becoming ever less important - using no fewer than four players (the other performers are John Wall, Jonathan Dunstan and Taku Unami), Davies' objective was to sound as many strings as possible, 40 out of a possible 47, and record the resulting clusters from inside the soundboard. The first section plays on the idea of decay, and the latter half of the piece concentrates on sustain through the use of e-bows. It's a solemn slab of music, in keeping with its dedication to the memory of French new music promoter and journalist Jacques Perdereau, whom Davies met at the Rencontres Européennes de Musiques Improvisées in Paris in 1998.”
Dan Warburton, Paris Transatlantic, October, 2004
“These interesting sonic experiments do not disguise Rhodri’s high degree of skill as an improviser, and one who knows his chosen instrument back to front and inside out; he is fully informed as to the liberties he may take. ‘Plosif’ and ‘Berant’ deliver some of the strongest, most innovative and most accomplished playing I’ve heard anywhere, on any instrument.”
Ed Pinsent of Trem, The Sound Projector, Issue 12, 2004
rhodri davies: trem (confront cd 011, 2001)
rhodri davies: london strings: perdereau (absinth records cd 04, 2004)
rhodri davies: over shadows (confront cd 016, 2007)
rhodri davies: camber (track for leonardo music journal CD, volume 17, 2007)