posted by Corey

Corey Dargel, buhlogger

When I was in junior high school, in Weslaco, TX, I fell victim to a mysterious illness.  I was out of school for almost six months, and I had to repeat the seventh grade.  There appeared to be some sort of mass in my lungs, but the doctors couldn’t tell what it was.  At first, they thought it might be parrot fever, but those tests came up negative.  A few other possibilities were discussed (including malingering I’m sure), but doctors were never able to tell me what was wrong.  Eventually the condition went away on its own.

My current project, Thirteen Near-Death Experiences, is a series of art-pop songs about different kinds of psychiatric delusions, with a specific focus on hypochondria. The songs are written for me to sing with the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE).*  In Thirteen, psychiatric case studies masquerade as love songs, embracing a mix of humor, tenderness, and pathos, celebrating the ways in which abnormal behavior leads to more diverse ways of interacting with the world, new approaches to creativity, and unconventional definitions of sanity.  Musically, Thirteen represents a drastic shift away from my signature electro-pop sounds to the classical chamber ensemble.  Here’s the instrumentation (slashes mean that one player switches between different instruments):

flute/piccolo/alto flute,
clarinet/bass clarinet/trombone,
piano/toy piano,
percussion,
violin,
‘cello/viola da gamba.

This site chronicles the making of Thirteen Near-Death Experiences and gives anyone who’s interested the opportunity to observe and participate in its creation.  There will be comments here from the musicians and other collaborators, from my friends, family, and colleagues, and from strangers who are interested in being part of this process.  I am open to constructive, instructive, and destructive criticism.

On this blog, I will be posting audio files and scores (as PDFs) of the songs as I’m writing them.  I’m inviting all of the performers and creators behind the piece to contribute, and I’m also inviting my friends and colleagues to post feedback if they are so inclined.  If you’re a stranger who’s come to this blog because you’re interested in my music, I would like to hear from you, too.  Please feel free to post your thoughts.  I am open to both constructive and destructive feedback.

The premiere of Thirteen Near-Death Experiences will take place in New York, NY, on Friday and Saturday, May 22 and 23, 2009, at Performance Space 122.

*The creation and performance of “Thirteen Near-Death Experiences” is made possible in part through the MAP Fund, a program of Creative Capital supported by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation.