Avant-garde group Secret Chiefs 3 are releasing a pair of songs via Bandcamp under one of their many satellite bands, FORMS. The Superdeluxe and Krasnoyarsk arrangements are just two versions of Secret Chief 3’s performing “Danse Macabre,” originally a famous classical composition. Secret Chiefs 3 is an eclectic collective led by guitarist/composer Trey Spruance. Their studio recordings and tours have presented various programs, as the group performs a broad range of musical styles under several different alias’s named Electromagnetic Azoth, UR, Ishraqiyun, Traditionalists, Holy Vehm, FORMS, and NT Fan. Their mostly instrumental musical styles range from surf rock and folk music, to death metal, film music and electronic.
Secret Chiefs 3: FORMS is performing different arrangements of “Danse Macabre” including the 3rd arrangement for the traditional Russian orchestra of Krasnoyarsk. Trey Spruance explains “The genesis of all these arrangements in scale and depth is the fourth arrangement ‘Superdeluxe’ (2017). It’s a complex entwine of obsessively rendered elements from the entire history of this piece featuring elements from their previous arrangements as well as the genius work of many others.” This arrangement includes participation from Matt Lebofsky on piano/organs, Trey Spruance on organs, guitar, bass, and percussion, William Winant on mallets, chimes, gran casa, and cymbals, Jennifer Cass on the harp, Timba Harris and Terrie Baune on the violin, Kristin Garbeff on cello, Teresa Orozco on the flute, Jim Kassis on additional percussion, and Philip Collins conducting. It is produced, arranged, recorded and mixed by Trey Spruance and drums recorded by Jason Schimmel. “The Krasnoyarsk version was done as part of a program of Secret Chiefs 3 repertoire music adapted for an amazing and adventurous 61-piece Soviet-style orchestra, accompanied by Secret Chiefs 3 as the rhythm section,” Spruance adds. You can listen to the intricate compositions below.
Photo Credit: Raymond Flotat
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