Time-Clouds by Jorge Vidales explores the possibilities of
aggregate sonorities and resonances that rise from the vibraphone to
form large events, or "mists" of sound. These mists accumulate again
into even large resonances, or "clouds." The static, resonant moments
are contrasted with more articulate events that make use of different
pedaling and mallet techniques.
The "clouds of sound" at work in
the piece can also be viewed as "clouds of time," in which events group
themselves according not only to their texture and dynamic level, but
also according to their time-direction (static vs. dynamic time;
measured vs. unmeasured time; linear vs. non-linear time; etc.). The
final part of the piece exhibits a transformation of the vibraphone
timbre, which suggests a "sublimation" of the sound-mists, as they rise
and slowly evaporate into an atmosphere of silence.