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The Weather Duo update the chamber ensemble
Alt-classical
The Weather Duo are actually a trio, and they take an experimental approach to chamber music. The group's live performances feature sonic and visual elements, and they blend improvisation with contemporary classical music. The 10 compositions on their forthcoming album range in length from less than two minutes to more than 11.
All three members are 23. Double bass player Ben Willis and cellist Pat Reinholz are roommates who spent four years studying together at the UW-Madison School of Music. "We both kind of geek out over string music," says Reinholz. "We actually have conversations about things like subharmonizing." The group's sound brings together influences of jazz, classical, electronic and folk music.
Musical improvisation isn't the only thing that's spontaneous about their performances. The video components added by Anna Weisling are also improvised, based on the way the music sounds as it unfolds. "I've got a bank of hundreds of videos that I can pull from," says Weisling. "I'll have to be ready to go someplace I've never heard them go before, so I use a program called MAX/MSP/Jitter that allows me to combine any kind of footage that I have with live footage of them."
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