Tower of Meaning

Tower of Meaning is a 1983 instrumental album by American composer Arthur Russell, originally released on Philip Glass's Chatham Square label. It consists of orchestral pieces intended for theatrical use, recorded in 1981 and conducted by Julius Eastman.[2][3]

Tower of Meaning
Studio album by
Arthur Russell
Released1983
RecordedFebruary 1981[1]
GenreOrchestral, minimalism
Length44:36
LabelChatham Square, Audika
ProducerArthur Russell
Arthur Russell chronology
24→24 Music
(1981)		 Tower of Meaning
(1983)		 World of Echo
(1986)

Background

The pieces featured on Tower of Meaning were originally intended for theater director Robert Wilson's staging of Euripides' Medea in the early 1980s.[4] The collaboration was facilitated by Philip Glass but fell through after creative squabbling between Wilson and Russell;[4] Russell was barred from rehearsals and eventually replaced by composer Gavin Bryars.[5] Glass then released the tapes on his own Chatham Square label in a run of 320 copies.[4]

The album is one of only two studio records released under Russell's name during his lifetime (the other is 1986's World of Echo).[4] It was reissued in 2016 by the label Audika.[2] In 2017, Peter Zummo and Bill Ruyle transcribed the pieces and arranged the album for live performance; it premiered in the UK that January.[6]

Reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
Pitchfork7.0/10[4]

AllMusic described Tower of Meaning as "an almost medievally pure music in which tone combinations of two or three notes tuned to modal/raga scales are played by various instrumental groups".[3] Pitchfork stated that "it would be tough to claim that Tower of Meaning is one of Russell's greatest efforts", but noted that the album evinced "more of a clear grounding in a pre-existing musical lineage than anything else that Russell ever released" and "works well within its own self-imposed boundaries".[4]

Track listing
  1. "Tower of Meaning" – 2:04
  2. "Tower of Meaning" – 6:02
  3. "Tower of Meaning" – 2:05
  4. "Tower of Meaning" – 2:50
  5. "Tower of Meaning" – 6:23
  6. "Tower of Meaning" – 3:37
  7. "Fragments from Tower of Meaning" – 21:39

Personnel

Adapted from the liner notes.[1]

  • Arthur Russell – composer, producer
  • Julius Eastman – conductor
  • Ray Janos – mastering
  • Kathleen Cooney – design

References
  1. "Liner Notes". Discogs.
  2. Moore, Emily. "An Oral History Of Arthur Russell's Tower of Meaning". The Quietus. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
  3. Tyranny, "Blue" Gene. "Tower of Meaning Album Review". AllMusic. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
  4. Cook-Wilson, Winston. "Arthur Russell: Tower of Meaning Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
  5. Lawrence, Tim, "Disco Madness: Walter Gibbons & the Legacy of Turntablism and Remixology", Journal of Popular Music Studies, archived from the original on December 2, 2008, retrieved December 31, 2008
  6. "Review: Arthur Russell's Tower of Meaning - UK Premier at King's Palace". London Jazz News. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
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