Jimi
for viola and interactive electronics
On August 18, 1969 Jimi Hendrix played a legendary rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner” at Woodstock. The performance, which featured heavy use of feedback, atonal improvisation, and imitations of bombs falling, is often seen as an anti-Vietnam political statement.
Jimi is essentially a rhapsody on “The Star-Spangled Banner” in the style of Hendrix, with the violist mirroring Hendrix’s virtuosity and unique interpretation. The work asks the listener to imagine what it was like to be a witness (perhaps under psychedelic influence) to that Woodstock performance, and that monumental time in history-- the height of the Hippie movement, political and civil discord, and Rock.
Jimi is essentially a rhapsody on “The Star-Spangled Banner” in the style of Hendrix, with the violist mirroring Hendrix’s virtuosity and unique interpretation. The work asks the listener to imagine what it was like to be a witness (perhaps under psychedelic influence) to that Woodstock performance, and that monumental time in history-- the height of the Hippie movement, political and civil discord, and Rock.
