TZOLKIN
Cultural Meditation
Presented here is a visual slide show of the Mayan sacred 260 count of days, the Tzolk’in. The slides in the following video, each consisting of one the 20 Day Glyphs, in combination with one of the 13 Dot-Bar Notations of this Mayan chronometric time keeping system, have been synchronized with the live performance of Michael’s mathematical masterpiece, Tzolkin in C Major. The work was performed by the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra in 2002, which took 3rd prize in the prestigious Toru Takemitsu Orchestral Competition at the astounding Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall.
Our mission is to continue to perform this work in tandem with aligned cultural events.
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Here are some recommendations before listening
Take a moment to make sure that anyone participating here will not be interrupted for the next half hour before beginning the audio and or audio visual meditation. Make sure that you are in a quite place with the lights dimmed down or off, and that you have a good sound system or set of headphones. Alternately you may also watch the presentation of the progression of the Mayan Day Glyphs and Dot-Bar notation while listening. Take five minutes to quiet your mind and get comfortable before pressing play, and take five minutes after to reflect upon your experience listening to the work. Make sure that you have a commercial free membership with Youtube and that you stop the video before it finishes completely, or you may experience sonic attack from other media sources. Once all of these things have been put in place and you begin to watch and listen, you may start to find out that time in all actuality is very elastic, and because of this, you may experience the compression and expansion of your perceptions as associated with living in the moment. If so, then good. You are beginning to stretch your chrono-muscles! That’s the point. Have fun!
listen here to the original live orchestral performance
watch & listen to the work synchronized visually with the Mayan calendar
this orchestral presentation includes overlaid audio samples chosen aesthetically to represent archetypes in the work
