New Music Recitals 2010 Newsletter 3

A Circle of Inspiration
by Derek Bermel

Programming music for a concert series can be tricky. As I curate I wear different hats, attempting to think one-third as a composer, one-third as a performer, and one-third as an audience member. From a composer's perspective, I wish to hear music that is personal and daring, music that breaks down – or challenges – established preconceptions about sound, structure, and meaning. As a performer, I desire to practice and play music with a strong internal urge, music simultaneously idiomatic and revolutionary within the medium. As an audience member, I want to experience new works that are compelling, that ache to be heard, that draw me into a new way of listening.

Recently I was appointed Artist-in-Residence at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton. The bulk of my responsibilities here entail programming the Edward T. Cone Series at the Institute's Wolfensohn Hall. The audience for these programs consists of faculty, members, and staff at the Institute, combined with a loyal concert-going community. They tend to be highly intellectual – gifted thinkers and creative minds – but not necessarily acquainted with contemporary trends in music.

For the 2009-10 season, I designed the programs to focus on contemporary music and to 1) appeal both to the specific audience and to the general public, 2) encompass a wide variety and breadth of style, and 3) present unique perspectives on a particular artistic concept or subject. Though I always have a hand in choosing repertoire, I tend to consult extensively with the performers. Because the nature of the audience, I am less concerned with ticket sales than with presenting fine music, performed at the highest level.

For our first program this season, I performed a pair of recitals with pianist Christopher Taylor, in which we showcased (mostly American) music for clarinet and piano in the 20th century; Milhaud - 1927, Bernstein - 1942, Currier - 1989, Moravec – 2004, and three of my pieces). As a centerpiece we played the Brahms second sonata (op. 120 no. 2), a linchpin of the repertoire that casts an enduring shadow onto the 20th – and into the 21st – century. The concert served the function of introducing me, as both a composer and a performer, to the Institute community. It also allowed me to acquaint them with Kit Taylor, a formidable virtuoso who is both a musical and intellectual powerhouse.

In the second pair of concerts, which took place last month, I presented a retrospective of Pulitzer and Grammy-award winning composer William Bolcom. This particular concert featured some of Bolcom's greatest contributions to the world of chamber music, the first half consisted of solo sonatas (violin – 1974, cello – 1989, clarinet – 1995) and the second half featured cabaret songs (1964-2006). As a finale, the composer himself, along with his wife mezzo-soprano Joan Morris, performed two miniature sets of new cabaret songs. I chose works of his from different periods, in order to showcase the depth and variety of Bolcom's impressive catalog.

The third set of concerts in January will feature Midori and pianist Charles Abramovic, performing a recital of contemporary music. The mere fact that one of the greatest living performers and educators has begun dedicating herself to commissioning and programming contemporary music is itself a major event. The repertoire Midori proposed was especially interesting to me, and it worked well to round out the season. Compared with the other programs on the series, it is largely non-American: the Japanese composer Toshio Hosokawa (‘Vertical Time Study'), the Brit Huw Watkins (‘Coruscation' and ‘Reflection'), the Pole Krzysztof Penderecki (‘Sonata no. 2'), and the Scot James MacMillan (‘After the Tryst'). America is represented by the New Englander-turned-Californian John Adams (‘Road Movies'), rounding out an evening sure to be both rich and diverse in approaches to style, form, and musical language.

For the fourth pair of concerts, which take place in March, I chose to present two of the greatest young American jazz pianist/composers, Vijay Iyer and Craig Taborn. This performance will mark the first duo-piano recital given by these formidable musical minds, known for their dazzling rhythmic ability and stylistic fluency. In this instance, I am thrilled that a new creative partnership will be engendered as a result of the series; perhaps it will help launch a new musical direction for these outstanding musicians.

In the end, I hope that these concerts will present a sensual delight – but also an intellectual and creative challenge – for the Institute Community. The cellist Yo-Yo Ma has spoken of a circle consisting of composer, performer, and audience. When, during the course of a performance, that circle of communication remains intact, it can lead to a powerful and inspiring occasion for everyone involved.

Midori and Charles Abramovic will perform two New Music Recitals at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, NJ on January 15 and 16, 2010.

Pianist's Perspective
An Interview with Charles Abramovic: Part 2

Do you feel that the works on your program with Midori are representative of the composers?

I think the Adams is certainly representative of his style – one could hear a few measures of “Road Movies” and identify Adams without much trouble. His musical style has stayed consistent through most of his work. On the other hand, Penderecki has gone through distinct compositional periods, so one could identify the Second Violin sonata only by knowing the works of since the mid-1970s or so. Certainly works like the “Threnody for Victims of Hiroshima,” or “Polymorphia”, with their much more avant-garde techniques, sound completely different from the Second Sonata. My knowledge of Watkins' other works is limited so I cannot answer this. The Macmillan work sees quite representative of his style – lyrical, nostalgic, and using attractive, evocative harmonic language.

In October 2008 you took part (as pianist in a chamber music concert) in a week-long celebration of the 75th birthday of Krzysztof Penderecki in Philadelphia, organized by the Philadelphia Orchestra. Did you meet him on that occasion? Did he speak about his music? Did he coach your ensemble? Do you play his music differently as a result of something you learned about him or his music during that week?

Yes, I played the first violin sonata (with Chantal Juillet) and the sextet for piano and mixed ensemble. He did hear us before the concert and offered rather limited suggestions for the works. The sextet is an interesting piece and greatly resembles the Second violin sonata that Midori and I will be playing. The most specific request he had was to make sure that the tango section of the Sextet had proper rhythmic inflection. It certainly was thrilling to meet and work with such a legendary composer.

Before preparing this program, were you familiar with the work of Toshio Hosokawa? What kind of voice does his music project?

I was completely unfamiliar with Hosokawa's work before learning "Vertical Time Study III." I have since looked at some of his short piano works, and have listened to some other works such as "Interim" (harp and chamber orchestra, "Sen VI" (organ) and "Fragmente" (alto flute and string quartet). Much of his work seems to explore the nature of sound, exploring durations of both single pitches and dissonant clusters of notes. The spacious and unmeasured nature of his music seems to be an important element of his aesthetic approach. His free use of dissonance, tone clusters and unusual notational devices reminds me a little of the Yugoslav composer, Milko Kelemen. There is definitely a European/German type of new music that does not shy away from dissonance and might "challenge" a listener. His music does fit somewhat into this category, not surprisingly considering the time he spent in Europe. There are imaginative and evocative uses of the two instruments in "Vertical Time Study III", including extended techniques on the piano (plucking and strumming strings, muted percussive effects) and sound extensions in the violin part such as quarter tones, playing on the bridge, and "noise" effects through extreme bow pressure. The idea of vertical time is an interesting one, and one can hear the various events in this piece as forming a kind of musical clock (although one that is not very steady!).

Don’t forget to check in with Michelle Lee’s blog!

http://masterclassblog.wordpress.com/

Michelle is preparing Huw Watkins' Coruscation and Reflection for Midori's masterclass in San Francisco on January 31.

* Readers are invited to submit questions about contemporary music in general or Midori's all-contemporary recital in particular. Time and space permitting, Midori will answer some of the questions on these Newsletter pages. Please address your questions to violin@gotomidori.com, or you may post them on the Wall of Midori's Facebook page!

Photo Credits
Derek Bermel (bridge): James Pomerantz
Derek Bermel (composing): Azzurra
Charles Abramovic & Midori: Robert Eddy
Michelle Lee: courtesy of Michelle Lee

Learn more!

John Adams
http://www.earbox.com/

Derek Bermel
http://www.derekbermel.com/

Boosey & Hawkes
http://www.boosey.com/

Icicle Creek Music Center
http://www.icicle.org/

Institute for Advanced Study
http://www.ias.edu/special/air

Polish Music Center (Penderecki)
http://www.usc.edu/dept/polish_music/composer/penderecki.html

San Francisco Performances
http://www.performances.org/

Schott Music
http://www.schott-music.com/

SUGGESTED LISTENING

The following is a short selection of recordings by each of the composers featured in Midori’s New Music Recitals 2010:

HUW WATKINS
1. Coruscation and Reflection
Plus works by Wood, Salter, Cashian, Grime, Matthews
Alexandra Wood, violin; Huw Watkins, piano
USK 1226CD

2. Dream
Plus works by Martland, O'Regan, Yarde, Tavener
Britten Sinfonia
SIGNUM CLASSICS SIGCD149

3. Cello Sonata
Plus Alexander Goehr: Sonata Op. 45
Paul Watkins, cello / Huw Watkins, violin
NIMBUS RECORDS NI 5699