“Treatise” is a composition by Cornelius Cardew (1936 to 1981) from the 1960s. It consists of 193 pages with only graphic elements and two staves, which, however, contain no “values” and are therefore empty. Above them are graphic elements whose meaning is not fixed.

There’s a lot to see here, stop and see.

How does one read this composition? The answer is difficult, but the work is read again and again, which then becomes a reality in performances!

On this record, there are two performances (and thus readings) of pages 3, 45, and 76. A trio is playing with Micah Frank (modular synthesizer), Chet Doxas (woodwinds and foley – I had to look that up, but I think he means woodwind instruments and “noise(makers”)), and Taylor Deupree (looping and processing – i.e., repetition and reworking). The performances were held at two different venues. The results are hardly relatable: It is difficult – or even impossible – to draw a reciprocal connection between the acoustic results and the composed originals.

Nevertheless, these are not free improvisations without a specific reason. Here, quite differently colored soundscapes emerge from the originals, whose mobility as a whole is rather ponderous, i.e., more static than urgent. That is charming and mysterious. Or, depending on one’s mood, indifferent or fascinating.

The performers interpret as follows:

«This album reframes Treatise not as a static artifact of mid-century experimentalism, but as a living document—adaptable, unpredictable, and rich with possibility in the hands of artists attuned to both structure and spontaneity. With this modern realization, Larum hopes to affirm the work’s timelessness and prove that Treatise remains as vital and valid today as when it was first conceived.»

Fundamentally, even the traditional reading we are used to—namely, from front to back, left to right, top to bottom—is a requirement that «Treatise» does not prescribe (here is a PDF of the work), even if it seems reasonable to us. The convention of Western thought in an otherwise cryptic score. Adventurous.