It's hard to see an explicit connection between Michael Torke's The Yellow Pages (1985) [from The Telephone Book] and the well-known phone book section of the same name, except that they both achieve great diversity through the repetition of certain basic ideas. It is light, busy music, with dynamic rhythms and a pleasing sunny quality. Torke keeps the one and only theme in mind throughout the work; the chords underlying the material vary, and so does the actual statement of the melody, but it is always recognizably similar music. Each of the various instruments has its moments of prominence and silence, and each gets a chance to elaborate on the theme in its own way. The music moves from key to key often enough that the ear does not suffer fatigue. In the end, perhaps the title refers to the catalog of possibilities for the opening theme - The Yellow Pages seems like a complete compendium of the various modifications the theme could undergo, from A to Z [notes thanks to the All Music Guide]. Watch a performance of Michael Torke's The Yellow Pages played by members of the ONIX Ensemble . . . one of this week's FEATURED NEW MUSIC VIDEOS.

Dutch composer Ton Bruynèl studied from 1952 to 1956 with Wolfgang Wijdeveld at the Utrecht Conservatory, at the same time taking private composition lessons with Kees van Baaren. From 1957 he concentrated on electronic music, establishing his own studio, where he composed Reflexes (1961), based on manipulations of a recorded drumbeat. His Mobile, for two soundtracks, was awarded a prize during the Gaudeamus Music Week in 1966. Since then he has sought to refine the combination and blending of synthetic and acoustic sounds. For his achievements in this field his Chicharras and Adieu petit prince won prizes in 1986 at the Festival International de Musique Electroacoustique Synthèse in Bourges. Bruynèl has been interested in combining electronic music with other art forms. One such work, Signs (1969), a collaboration with the artist Gérard van den Eerenbeemd, was played and exhibited at the Amsterdam Stedelijk Museum. Listen to Ton Bruynèl's Reflexes . . . it's our FEATURED SOUND ART for the week.

Ricardo Romaneiro was born in Sao Paulo, Brazil and currently lives in New York City. He earned his undergraduate degree in composition at the Manhattan School of Music under the tutelage of Richard Danielpour, and following private studies with Samuel Zyman completed his Master of Music degree at the Juilliard School, studying with Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Christopher Rouse. Romaneiro seeks to synthesize his interest in electronic music with his background in classical composition. His music has been commissioned and performed by ensembles and institutions such as the Metropolis Ensemble, the Museum of Modern Art's Summergarden Series, Wordless Music, the Alvin Ailey Dance Company, the New Juilliard Ensemble, Quintet of the Americas, the Colorado Ballet, and the Sacramento Ballet. Listen to a performance of Ricardo Romaneiro's Ventos (2007) . . . it's one of our PYTHEAS EARFULS for the week.

Mark Gresham is an American composer whose music is rooted in traditions of neo-romanticism, yet explores modern and eclectic influences with a passionate lyricism that is sensitive to word, history, and sense of place. His compositions have been performed by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra & Youth Orchestra, Bent Frequency, Thamyris, Georgia State University Percussion Ensemble, the Atlanta Symphony Brass Quintet, the San Francisco Symphony Chorus, the National Lutheran Choir, the New York Concert Singers, the Emory University Concert Choir, the Plymouth Music Series, the Candler Choraliers, and the choir of the Cathedral Church of St. Paul (Boston), among others. Gresham began writing music in his teens, when he also studied conducting with Michael Palmer (associate conductor with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra). In addition to being a composer and conductor, Gresham is a writer and music journalist. His book of interviews, Choral Conversations, is scheduled for re-release in an expanded second edition, and he has been a contributing writer for Creative Loafing-Atlanta since 2002, winning an ASCAP-Deems Taylor Award in music journalism in 2003. Listen to a performance of Mark Gresham's Mortal Coils . . . it's this week's FROM THE PYTHEAS ARCHIVES.