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I thought the Beet Stretch of Beethoven was very ethereal. The notes were the correct pitch but they lasted for quite some time longer. It reminded me of moving in slow motion and being able to see each individual movement of a person running; it really breaks the music down into its components. The slow motion effect reminded me of watching the film Baraka where there are shots of people from all over the world moving in a slowed down manner. There is no dialogue but a sound track does fill in non-diagetically. I felt like an ant on the side of a ball. To me from that perspective I see the world but not the whole world. To me the world is flat and I can walk in any direction and it’s the same. But if I back up and get perspective on where I am, I can see the world is not flat but in fact round. That’s the difference in listening to Beethoven’s symphony at normal speed and the Beat Stretch speed of incredibly slow. I began to zone out and the music became part of the background of my world. I wasn’t listening to it, just like the sounds of traffic or people’s murmurings. But eventually I would catch myself and realize the music was still playing and listen to the notes as a crescendo build. This reminds me of walking down Chancellor’s Walk and then becoming aware of the sounds and noises around me and then I begin to pay attention to the world around me once again; for instance a conversation between two people as they walk to class. This kind of sound really takes you in and then the body adapts to its presence and you forget about it, or it just fades into the back of your mind. But then it does jump back into your consciousness at times. But I found it difficult to simply listen to for a full hour. I’m a patient person but just hearing a note and then a few minutes later the pitch changes or the volume builds takes its toll on the concentration portion of the mind. It’s just not doing enough to keep the mind’s interest but it can’t be simply ignored either. I think the purpose of Beet Stretching Beethoven is to take something that people know and make something new or look at/hear it from a different angle. Make it new again.

Screen Capture from Baraka (1993)