BRATTLEBORO — On Nov. 8, at 8 p.m., Epsilon Spires presents CV & JAB, a collaboration by Christina Vantzou and John Also Bennett.
Brussels-based ambient classical composer Vantzou and New York musician Bennett “will immerse the Sanctuary in drifting, surrealist soundscapes,” according to a news release. A sliding scale of $15-$20 will be charged at the door.
The pair use synthesizers, field recordings, and traditional instruments like flutes and pianos to bathe their audiences in soft waves as well as sharp angles of sound. “The generosity in CV & JAB's minimalism is that they leave enough room for each listener to travel their own intimate interior journey,” according to the news release.
CV & JAB released their first collaboration, Thoughts of a Dot as it Travels a Surface, as an LP on Shelter Press in 2018. It is a musical performance of a 90-meter panoramic wall drawing (of the same title) by Canadian artist Zin Taylor.
Vantzou and Bennett's reverence for the poetics of space isn't limited to the inner language of their composition. They are also conscious of the interplay between their acoustic recreations and the physical space the sounds inhabit in the live environment.
Bennett believes that the “sound of the space” in which a piece is performed plays an important role in the composition. Thus every piece of furniture, audience member, and surface physically tunes the performance itself.
For their performance at Epsilon Spires, the artists will debut music drawing inspiration from an ancient Greek pithos or vessel.
Vantzou is a Kansas City, Mo., native of Greek descent who resides in Brussels, Belgium. A composer and experimental filmmaker, she works with space, sound, and image.
Bennett is an American composer, flautist and synthesist based in Brooklyn, N.Y. He is a member of the trio Forma and founding member of the duo Seabat, as well as composing and performing solo under his own name.