Catching up!

Wed, 2 Jun 2010 13:07:01 -0400

Alright, so I have more than a little bit of catching up to do! The last few (um...nine...) months have been rather busy. Since the time I last posted here, I completed half of my Master’s degree at the Manhattan School of Music, wrote four new works, had six performances of my music, and am now heading full force into my summer schedule of music festivals, traveling, composing, and cooking. So, I’ll try to give at least a brief overview of these recent happenings.

I had an absolutely spectacular year at the Manhattan School of Music (MSM). The faculty, students, classes, opportunities, performances, and location are all superb. I’m very happy about the way my schooling has worked out thus far. Having received wonderfully broad, well rounded education at CCM in Cincinnati, I am now experiencing a much more musically focused environment at MSM. I take only music classes, and most of them are quite unique. While many other graduate programs put you through a massive review of what you just did in undergrad, MSM gives you fresh learning opportunities. I especially enjoyed my courses in Operatic Analysis and Composition, and Theory Pedagogy. These are essentially new subjects for me, but they build on interests that I already had. My private lessons with Susan Botti were also excellent. Since she is both a composer and singer, she has unique experience and insight, particularly on the subject of vocal music. In addition, I had the privilege of doing my work-study hours in the External Affairs department at MSM. This gave me the chance to do research and content work on the school website, write articles and press releases, help with fundraising events, promote upcoming performances, write thank-you notes to donors, and much more. This was a very pleasant surprise - I did not expect to have such diverse and interesting opportunities as a work-study student! If you visit the MSM Experience page, you will see a realization some of the work I did on the school website.

This has been a rewarding season for me as a composer. During this school year I got to write a wind quintet, French song cycle, operatic scene, and a trio. The quintet came as a result of my winning the 2009 Windscape Composer Competition at the Manhattan School of Music. Having submitted an existing work for my entry, I was chosen to compose a new work for Windscape, who are artists-in-residence at MSM. Although I had never heard these musicians perform as a quintet, I grew up listening to recordings of them with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center - so getting to write for them was an absolute thrill! I had a great time working with them on my new piece, Riverside, which was inspired by the Hudson River and Riverside Park.

My second piece, Three Verlaine Songs, was my first vocal work. I wrote it for Lindsay Fraser, a fellow student at MSM. We got to be friends at the beginning of the year, and after hearing her spectacular singing I decided to write a piece for her. I had gotten to know several of Paul Verlaine’s poems during the Modern Poetry class I took during my undergrad. I chose three of my favorites and set them for soprano and piano. Thankfully Lindsay is quite good with French - my knowledge of the language is pretty basic, so I wanted to use this piece as a learning experience. Of course, approaching vocal writing for the first time was also a big challenge. I spent a LOT of time studying scores and attending performances in order to brainwash myself with good examples of vocal music. Lindsay and our pianist Paulina Garcia both did a wonderful job with the premiere.

For my Operatic Analysis and Composition class, I was assigned to plan out an original one-act opera, compose a 10-15 minute scene from it, and have the scene performed in class. The planning stage involved coming up with the concept, organizing the scenes, providing a synopsis, and making decisions about characters, costumes, instrumentation, and set design. My opera, tentatively titled Fear and Trembling, is based on a book by the same name, written by Søren Kierkegaard. Kierkegaard tells four alternative versions of the biblical story from Genesis chapter 22, in which God tests Abraham by asking him to sacrifice his son Isaac. In the plan for my opera, I decided to have scenes based on each of the Kierkegaard stories, and a final scene based on the biblical version. Therefore, the opera consists of five different versions of the same story. I find the concept interesting, but am learning that it would be very difficult to realize fully. Thankfully, I was only required to compose one scene. I chose to write Scene two; this version of the story is told from the perspective of Abrahams’ wife Sarah, a contralto, with the help of a soprano Narrator. Sarah tells of Abraham and Isaac departing on their journey, and begins to reminisce about the way God blessed her through her son Isaac. The Narrator picks up the story again, after which Sarah sings in horror about the near-sacrifice of Isaac on the mountain top. She relaxes as Abraham sacrifices the ram instead. In a final duet, Sarah and the Narrator bleakly explain that upon returning home, Isaac thrives as before, but Abraham never recovers from the sorrow of God’s test. My friends Ashley Cutright (Sarah), Mandy Kelly (Narrator), and Paulina Garcia (piano) gave a really moving performance in our class. Many professors and colleagues have urged me to revise this scene and complete the rest of the work. Several have also said that the concept would work better as an oratorio, since there is not much action taking place. I’m putting it on the back burner and moving on to other projects, but would love to attempt a completion at some point.

Finally, I wrote a new trio called Trajectories for flute, cello, and piano. The piece will be premiered at the Music10 festival in Blonay, Switzerland, where I will also be the Operations Manager again. The piece was an experiment in many ways. My teacher Susan Botti urged me to write a fast, virtuosic piece that is not “patterny,” since my past attempts at fast music rely heavily on patterns. This was a big challenge for me, because I am most comfortable writing music at a medium or slow tempo. Fast music calls for a lot of notes, and is very labor intensive to write. The piece was inspired by the flight patterns of birds, as they swoop and dive in different directions in between city buildings. As I observed these movements, I began to think of ways to develop them into musical lines. Sometimes they rise or fall at steep angles; other times they wind their way up or down gradually. This etude-like piece explores variations on these gestures, set to a recurring harmonic progression. I don’t think I succeeded in staying away from patterns - in fact, the piece has quite a lot of patterns. I tried to really focus on the gestures of the lines, so I stuck with very limited rhythmic and harmonic material. I hope it sounds interesting - we’ll see what happens.

I PROMISE that I will keep posting regularly. I will be writing a lot during the Music10 festival, talking about our experiences there. In addition, I am planning to write short, frequent posts about the music I am listening to lately. I may even share about my recent cooking and wine-tasting endeavors!

Also, check out my Music page, where I have uploaded recordings of Riverside and Three Verlaine Songs.

France

Thu, 3 Sep 2009 22:53:36 -0400

Well, I’m back after another one of my long lapses, and have quite a lot of catching up to do.

After my wonderful stint in Switzerland at Music09, I hopped on a train for France. I then spent a month working and studying at the American Conservatory in Fontainebleau. My work consisted of scheduling the lessons, classes, and rehearsals - many of which were held in various rooms of the historic Palais de Fontainebleau.

I also had a chance to visit many other beautiful and fascinating places in France:

Paris: Opera Garnier

Loire Valley: Chateau de Chambord

Loire Valley: Chateau de Chenonceau

Fontainebleau: incredible food

Paris: IRCAM, Anechoic Chamber. A completely soundproof, non-resonant acoustical space. The wedge-shaped panels help absorb the sound. While inside the chamber, you can hear your own heartbeat and nervous system very well, but you can barely hear a person speaking right next to you.

Paris, Montmartre: Basilique du Sacré Coeur

There really is nowhere else like France!

Music09 - Day 12

Sat, 4 Jul 2009 03:29:21 -0400

Well, we have reached the end of a truly amazing festival! Yesterday was our last day of activities. In the afternoon we held a masterclass with Frederick Rzewski, in which participant composers presented their music to him. Most played recordings, as usual, but Charlie Williams presented a brand new piece for piano and narrator. Charlie played the piano, which included an electronic component for added resonance; Amanda DeBoer narrated the text, which was written by Charlie’s girlfriend, Emma. Because the piece is not notated yet, we launched into a discussion about notated vs. non-notated music. Mr. Rzewski firmly asserted that a piece is not truly composed until it is written down. We also discussed pieces by Jordan Kuspa, Alex Stephenson, Michael Ippolito, and Lucas Hausrath. Mr. Rzewski was very exacting about certain details, such as fermatas and the resonance of certain chords.

Frederick Rzewski and Jordan Kuspa Frederick Rzewski, Joel Hoffman, and Michael Ippolito

Photos by Eun Young Lee

In the evening we had our final concert of the festival, featuring ensemble-in-residence eighth blackbird. They presented works by all three Music09 composers-in-residence, as well as the winner of the Music09 Composition Competition, and works by Thomas Ades and Stephen Hartke. The program opened with Joel Hoffman’s driving, colorful work, 6-8-2-4-5-8. The title refers to a series of time signatures - 6/8, 2/4, and 5/8 - which are a recurring theme within the piece. Next was Frederick Rzewski’s Les Moutons de Panurge. The group performed this challenging piece from memory, with improvised stage movements as the work’s musical process unraveled. Chen Yi’s Qi, for a quartet subset of the group, incorporated striking splashes of sound and throbbing processionals. Winner of the Music09 Composition Competition, David Brynjar Franzson’s trio, Il Dolce Fare Niente, juxtaposed fiercely sawing rhythms with fragmented textures.

After a short intermission, the group performed Thomas Ades’ psychotically virtuosic work, Catch. Following the composer’s stage directions, clarinetist Michael Maccaferri darted on and off the stage, coming in from different sides. He took advantage of Bartok Hall’s large, sliding glass doors, playing certain offstage passages while staring through the glass. The final work on the concert was Stephen Hartke’s Meanwhile. This striking six-movement work incorporates a broad range of traditional styles from various parts of Asia. However, Hartke manages to fuse them together into his own language without sounding touristy or colonial. Eighth blackbird performed brilliantly, with intriguing stage motions and impeccable musicality.

I want to take a moment to thank several people who were particularly influential on the quality of this festival. First of all, artistic director/composer-in-residence Joel Hoffman. Without his vision and initiative, this festival literally would never have happened. Michael Ippolito, our manager, ensured the efficient operation of our monstrous schedule of activities, which ran with remarkable smoothness. Marcel Lachat, director of the Hindemith Music Centre, also contributed immensely to the smoothness of our festival. His precision and hospitality are truly outstanding. Last, but absolutely not least, the members of eighth blackbird: flutist Tim Munro, clarinetist Michael Maccaferri, violinist Matt Albert, cellist Nick Photinos, percussionist Matthew Duvall, and pianist Lisa Kaplan. Their high musical standards, amiable personalities, and visionary ideas make Musicx the exhilarating experience that it is.

Also, a big ‘thank you’ to guest composers Chen Yi and Frederick Rzewski, as well as all of our participant performers and composers. What a great group of people and a great two weeks of music! The experiences and friendships built at this festival will certainly be lasting.

We are already working hard on planning Music10 - next year’s festival! To learn more and stay updated, keep an eye on our website, as well as this blog; we will post updates as the pieces of the puzzle come together.

One last thing, check out my Music page for a recording of my new work Panorama, which was premiered this Wednesday during the festival.

Music09 - Day 11

Fri, 3 Jul 2009 05:15:27 -0400

Ensemble-in-residence eighth blackbird gave a masterclass on Thursday morning, in which participants performed solo works for the ensemble. Flutist Pethrus Gärdborn opened with Divertimento for Flute Solo by Øistein Sommerfeldt, a Norwegian composer. The eighth blackbird members complemented him on his rock solid performance and beautiful sound; they also offered suggestions about increasing the colors, rubato, and contrast within his playing. Soprano Amanda DeBoer sang George Aperghis’ Recitation 12, a challenging work written as an additive score set to French-sounding nonsense syllables. As eighth blackbird cellist told her, “It rocks. You should do that everywhere.” The ensemble gave Amanda some feedback on her dramatic presentation of the piece, encouraging her to accentuate the piece’s schizophrenic quality by shifting between different ‘characters.’

Next we heard flutist Kerrith Livengood play her own composition, Tragic Game. Joel Hoffman asked her about the issue of being both performer and composer at the same time, and which came first. Kerrith mentioned that she essentially wrote the piece first, testing out a few passages on the flute, then learned it as a performer. Eighth blackbird helped her become more aware of her interpretation of her own score, pointing out ways she could observe her own notations more closely. Pianist Johanna Ballou performed the first and last movements André Volkonsky’s Musica Stricta, which was apparently the first 12-tone serialist work written by a Soviet composer. Eighth blackbird flutist Tim Munro mentioned that the last movement sounded like “Prokofiev on crack,” and that she should play up the baffling, bizarre qualities of the music. Oboist Amy Galbraith performed the “Peru” movement from Henri Tomasi’s Evocations. The group urged her to bring out different sonic elements in the piece, including drum-like, bird-like, and folk-music-like motives. They also offered ideas about stage movements to help reinforce these sonic elements; for instance, playing with no movement during the drum-like parts in order to make them seem more distant, and moving more expressively during the folk music parts.

For the remainder of the class, the eighth blackbird members spoke about their history and career path as an ensemble. Having met as students at Oberlin Conservatory, they built a performing career through a series of gradual, strategic steps. Each group member has unique, extra-musical roles in order to divide the organizational work efficiently and smoothly. They emphasized the importance of getting a musical career going while still in school, rather than simply waiting for graduation and starting from scratch afterward. Because they earned degrees together at Oberlin, CCM, and Northwestern University, they had a series of short-term commitments that offered them a home base and launching pad for various performing opportunities. Even before leaving school, their calendar was filling up with a variety of concerts and residencies.

In the evening we had a rather unusual concert, entitled “Accent09 meets Music09 meets Frederic Rzewski.” The program opened with this festival’s final work by a participant composer: Natalie Draper’s Fantasy on a Pavane by Luis Milan, performed by flutist Jessica Prus, pianist Lisa Kaplan (eighth blackbird), and percussionist Erica Drake. This lovely composition made subtle and moving use of the Renaissance pavane mentioned in the title. As the music journeyed through mysterious sound environments, the pavane gradually came to the forefront. Draper used a spiral notebook placed inside the piano, creating an evocative harpsichord-like timbre as the wire spiral vibrated against the strings.

Next we heard several works performed by the Accent09 Touring Ensemble. Accent09, directed by Dorotea Hoffman (Joel Hoffman’s wife) is a companion festival to Music09. Held at CCM from June 14-20, the festival provided a variety of musical opportunities to high school and undergraduate students. A group of these students, lead by Ms. Hoffman, have recently toured to several locations throughout Europe. Last night they joined our concert to perform Stacey Barelos’ Phobias, Hindemith’s Eight Canons and Trauermusik, Cage’s Living Room Music, and Joel Hoffman’s Stone Soup. The ensemble consisted of flute, voices, piano, guitar, and strings. Particularly enjoyable was Hoffman’s work, scored for violin and narrator, performed by his two children Benjamin (violin) and Natania (narrator). Flutist Kerrith Livengood also performed on this concert, presenting the same work she played during the masterclass in the morning.

After intermission, Frederick Rzewski performed Books III, IV, and VI of his Nanosonatas for solo piano. In addition to showcasing his remarkably agile piano playing, these works incorporated several effects such as striking and scratching the body of the piano, as well as humming, whistling, and grunting. Although each nanosonata was not very long, hearing twenty-seven of them was somewhat bewildering. However, some motives recurred throughout the different pieces, creating an overall cyclic flow. If you were there, what did you think?

Music09 - Day 10

Thu, 2 Jul 2009 08:43:37 -0400

Yesterday morning we had another open forum similar to the one on Tuesday. The discussion turned towards subjects such as harmony, counterpoint, and theory. Mr. Rzewski expressed his belief in the importance of good training in counterpoint, but mentioned that he has never really understood functional tonal harmony. He also questioned the value of set theory, Schenkerian analysis, and other ways of boiling down music into cerebral knowledge. “I like having an empty head - nothing in it, just bats flying around.” He pointed out that playing chess can help develop the strategic thinking necessary when writing music - the ability to think several steps ahead and anticipate potential challenges.

In the evening we held our third concert of the festival, again featuring premieres of the newly composed pieces. First was Breaking Bamboo, Shaking Jade by Jeffrey Roberts. This remarkable work featured sparce, yet colorful textures in which very specific sounds became thematic material. Particularly striking were the recurring, explosive crunching sounds made with bamboo wind chimes. Another gripping piece followed: Ted Goldman’s Scrudge. Over the two weeks here, this work has become famous for its difficulty; we’ve all heard many passages of it wafting repeatedly from the rehearsal spaces. The composition alternates between assertive, syncopated passages, and introspective, mysterious passages. The material develops with continual interest, leading to wildly flailing moments of virtuosity. Violinist Isaac Thompson, cellist Rachel Smith, and pianist Lisa Kaplan (eighth blackbird) played this work superbly. Matthew Schreibeis’ In Search of Planet X incorporated a similar sense of contrast, but in a different way. Jaggedly accented lines lead to floating, ethereal environments; these elements gradually intertwined, leading to a contrapuntal apotheosis. Imaginary Beings by Marcela Pavia was an elusive, yet powerful work. Thundering percussion sounds were pitted against jittery flute and piano motives, accented by flutters and shrieks.

(front row left to right) composer Alex Stephenson, flutist Tim More percussion stuff, including the bells for Charlie’s piece
Munro and cellist Nick Photinos (both from eighth blackbird),
and composers Jordan Kuspa and John Bower at last night’s concert

Both of these photos were taken by Eun Young Lee

After an intermission, the concert continued with Haru no Ime-Ji by Nicolai Jacobsen. The soprano part was set to a Japanese text, and the work had a clearly Japanese flavor. A lonely oboe line shadowed the voice, framed by a mixture of atmospheric percussion and cello sounds. Charlie Williams created entertaining theatrical situations in his work, Things to be Hungry For. The music moved through various rhythmic environments, periodically interrupted by wacky cameos from each of the musicians. They sometimes traded their normal instruments for a harmonica, nose flute, or colorful little bells. In the ‘story’ of the piece, each musician seemed to have something different to say, which was often misunderstood by the others. The concert concluded with my own piece, Panorama. I try to maintain a fairly objective tone in writing about these concerts, so I would feel strange discussing my own work. I will just say that the musicians did an excellent job playing it; if you were there, and would like to write about my piece, feel free to comment.

Music09 - Day 9

Wed, 1 Jul 2009 08:21:29 -0400

Wow, I can’t believe it’s July 1st, and yesterday was the 9th day of our festival! On the one hand, I feel like we’ve been here in Switzerland forever; on the other hand, time is flying by.

Tuesday morning we had an open forum with Joel Hoffman, Frederick Rzewski, and participants. We discussed a variety of important and controversial subjects. Mr. Rzewski talked about his belief in giving away music for free, which he calls ‘copyleft’ - the opposite of copyright. He says that this is good, efficient business practice because it results in increased circulation of the music, while posing a threat to the capitalist system, which he is interested in overthrowing. He spoke of performing rights associations - such as BMI, ASCAP, and SACEM - as “The Mafia,” insisting that they simply exist to drain money from the artists they claim to support.

We also got onto the topic of newness in music. Mr. Rzewski criticized today’s generation for not being adventurous, claiming that most recent music all sounds the same. When pressed to cite specific examples, he mentioned that on Monday’s concert, many of the pieces sounded like music from several decades ago. He believes that most of us composing today are looking backward too much, and that art has been on a general decline for some time now. He said that he hears nothing shocking from young composers. Jonathan Russell, a participant composer, asked (in light of the avant-garde music of the 1960’s), “What could be done that would be shocking now?” Mr. Rzewski responded, “Do you want me to show you?”

Pianist Liz Remizowski took some fabulous pictures during this forum, but we’re having technical difficulty getting them from her camera to my computer. I will post them sometime in the near future once we have solved the problem.

The evening concert, our second of the festival, was held in Bartok Hall. I was struck by the wide emotional range of the music on this program. The opening work, John Berners’ Twinkle Toes, showed a light, goofy sense of humor. This piece makes comical and theatrical use of shoes, which percussionist Benjamin Fraley wore on his hands and used them to ‘tap dance’ on a wooden table. The shoes seemed to have a dialogue and dancing competition with the other instruments. Next was Michael Ippolito’s Trio Variations. Ippolito brought creativity and freshness to the often-used variation form. Although this work was not overtly zany like that of Berners, it displayed a sense of cleverness and wit. Each variation created an intriguing environment, with varied elements such as elegant lines, ferocious accents, smooth chorales, and wildly racing figures.

Ribbons of Wood, by John Liberatore, fused together a variety of striking
gestures. Although the rhythms and contours were often erratic, the music
was flowing and elegant, creating a spacious atmosphere. For me, the
emotional focal point of the concert was Lisa Coons’ work, Three Songs.
Based on short gypsy love poems, these songs were bleak, withdrawn, and
exquisite. Soprano Amanda DeBoer performed with a hauntingly mournful
quality, accompanied by subtle, colorful effects from clarinetist Michael
Maccaferri, pianist Yen-Lin Goh, and percussionist Erica Drake. On the
other hand, Ben Irwin’s Sacrosanct was aggressive and asymmetrical.
Wandering flute and violin lines were pared with rumbling marimba textures.
Returning to the theme of humor and wit, Jonathan Russell’s piece,
...one damn thing..., was full of both. Rather than minimize the honky tones
qualities available on the oboe, Russell exploited them. Against a background
of vigorously insistent rhythms from the strings, oboist Amy Galbraith
screeched and wailed, eventually convincing the string rhythms to relent.
Christopher Walczak’s Night Spiral closed out the concert. The first
movement, “Approaching Sleep and Premonition,” was rhapsodic and
disorienting; the second, “Dream Impromptu,” interspersed short, driving
passages throughout a generally slow, smooth environment. (front row left to right): composers
Kyle Werner and Michael Ippolito,
violinist Kana Kimura, and
composer/clarinetist Ben Irwin

All photos on today’s post were graciously provided by Eun Young Lee

Pianist Lisa Kaplan (eighth blackbird), composer-in-residence Composer John Berners receiving applause for his piece
Frederick Rzewski, and his daughter Esther, in the audience

Cellist Nick Photinos (eighth blackbird) and oboist Amy Galbraith Composer Jonathan Russell
after performing Jonathan Russell’s piece

Music09 - Day 8

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 08:46:40 -0400

Monday morning, the percussionists of the festival gave a presentation about percussion notation for composers. Since there is no standardized, uniform method of notating percussion parts, the percussionists gave us their insights regarding the pros and cons of various notational techniques. They discussed the issues of writing for a large setup of non-pitched instruments, writing for pitched instruments, and writing for combinations of both. They also addressed detailed rhythmic notations, as well as indicating changes of mallets/sticks and different instruments. The common thread was clarity; the percussionists demonstrated some of the clearest and most logical methods of notating these various indications. This session was highly informative and helpful, even for composers (including me) who have played percussion. There are so many issues to think about when writing for percussion, so it was great to hear from experienced performers. Many thanks to percussionists Matthew Duvall (eighth blackbird), Erica Drake, Aaron Jester, Benjamin Fraley, and Yu-Chun Kuo for their excellent advice!

As usual, we held many rehearsals throughout the day. These culminated in our first full concert of the festival, held at 8pm in Bartok Hall at the Hindemith Center. Bartok Hall is a medium-small room with wooden flooring and large windows. This setting offers intimate, detailed acoustics and beautiful views of the surrounding landscapes. In addition to the members of our festival, the audience included four people from Michigan who happened to be visiting the area, and were invited by some participants on a train earlier that day.

The program opened with Chiaroscuro by Eun Young Lee. This haunting work featured a colorful array of percussion, shimmering violin sounds, and a variety of vocal techniques. In contrast, Jordan Kuspa’s Wild and Ferocious Plants presented agitated textures and driving rhythms. Glowing mixtures of timbres were punctuated by aggressive strumming and nimble flourishes. Next we heard Three Movements by Alex Stephenson. This intriguing work blurred the transitions between the movements, challenging the listener to distinguish between them. Simple, elegant rhythms and melodic lines contrasted with eerie, mysterious effects.

Violinist Matt Albert (eighth blackbird), pianist Liz Remizowski, Composer John E. Bower
and flutist Jessica Prus acknowledging composer John E. Bower
after performing his Columnar Fragments

John E. Bower’s Columnar Fragments was also mysterious and elusive. The timbres of the instruments were exquisitely blended, creating interweaving lines and subtle layers. At one point, violinist Matt Albert (eighth blackbird) played with a practice mute, achieving a hazy, distant sonority. Quartet No. 2, by Lucas Hausrath, juxtaposed gentle throbbing and sweeping gestures. These elements were enriched by pungent dissonances, and gleaming sounds of bowed crotales. Rossella Spinosa’s La Babelle dei Linguaggi, in three movements, fused together a wide palette of sounds - swirling motions, interlocking rhythms, iridescent flute tones, and winding violin and cello lines. The concert closed with Christopher Stark’s Archipel, also in three movements. The first movement set up a web of intricate rhythmic figures, which dissolved into a pointillistic texture. The second created a light, airy environment, with shimmering harmonics; the final movement contrasted modal lines with sharp accents and snap pizzicatos.

In my opinion, this concert showcased the high quality and individual expression of the musicians at our festival. The performances, and well as the works themselves, were on the whole well-prepared and musically engaging. I look forward to our next concert of new works tonight.

All photos on today’s post were graciously provided by Eun Young Lee.

Music09 - Day 7

Sun, 28 Jun 2009 12:57:57 -0400

Today we did lots of rehearsing and mountain hiking. As usual, the participants rehearsed many of the new compositions throughout the day. Since I had nothing scheduled, I decided to sit in on a few rehearsals. In rehearsals of my new piece, Panorama, I have already been VERY impressed with the level of musicianship at our festival. The performers are so dedicated, disciplined, and expressive.

My impressions were confirmed today in the rehearsals I
visited. With a combination of hard work and a great
sense of humor, the performers are polishing up the new
works for their performances this week. Each chamber
group includes one member of eighth blackbird and two or
three performer-participants. The eighth blackbird members
draw on their tremendous experience with new music as
they work with the participants, coaching them in various
techniques for learning challenging new works.

Particularly important is eighth blackbird’s intricate method
of cueing, in which performers study the score, and copy
certain features into their individual parts. For instance, they
might mark places in which their part is doubled with another Lisa Kaplan (eighth blackbird member), Kana instrument. Or they may mark passages in which their rhythm Kimura, Pethrus Gärdborn, and Yu-Chun Kuo
must interlock with another instrument. By making such markings, rehearsing my new piece, Panorama
the performers are in touch with important connections in the score
while playing their individual parts.

Of course, one of the luxuries of this festival is that the performers and composers get to collaborate in the rehearsals. The performers never have to guess what the composer wants, because the composer is sitting right there with them. The composers make suggestions to the performers and vice versa. We also have some participants who both compose and perform, so they are able to bring a unique point of view to the rehearsal process.

Topics of discussion in rehearsals vary greatly depending on the piece. I noticed performers conferring about cuing, dynamics, sci-fi movies, tempo, rhythm, Horton Hears a Who, articulation, and timbre. Some interesting quotes I overheard:

“If only words could describe how awkward this is.”

“No! See how you get ahead immediately!”

“No! You slowed down.”

Composer: “That’s what I wanted to say.”
Performer: “Sometimes when the composer says it, it takes longer.”

In all seriousness, the musicians seem very comfortable and open with one another for the most part - which is absolutely vital when preparing difficult new compositions. I think this week’s performances will be on a remarkably high level.

Now, about the mountain hiking. During open times in their schedule, many participants took the train up to Les Pleiades, a nearby mountaintop above Blonay. After exploring the summit, some people took the train back down to Blonay, while others hiked down. I was among the hikers, and enjoyed the trip very much. On the way down we encountered spectacular views, beautiful forests, herds of sheep and cattle, and lovely houses. The sheep and cattle all wear almglocken (traditional Swiss cowbells), creating a wonderful ringing sound as they graze. The composer Gustav Mahler used these bells to create this effect in his music, so today I felt like I hiked right through the middle of his Sixth Symphony.

One other piece of news: our next composer-in-residence, Frederick Rzewski, arrived yesterday. This week he will be performing, giving a masterclass, coaching performers, and of course relaxing and enjoying this beautiful place. He has been coming to our festival each year for awhile now, and it is always a pleasure to have him.

More photos

Sat, 27 Jun 2009 17:02:37 -0400

Eun Young Lee, one of our Music09 composers, is taking lots of great pictures here, so I though I would post several of them.

Composer-in-Residence Chen Yi Artistic Director/Composer-in-Residence Joel Hoffman

Composer Lisa Coons presenting her music

eighth blackbird members Michael Maccaferri and Tim
Munro, and composer Matthew Schreibeis enjoying free
wifi on the side porch Participant performers and composers in a masterclass

The Blonay-Vevey train The Hindemith Center Pavilion in the evening

Performers and composers playing highly competitive ping-pong in the backyard at the Hindemith Center

Cellist Liz Lee playing for eighth Percussionist Aaron Jester
blackbird cellist Nick Photinos Chalet Delacroix side porch playing frisbee in the backyard

Music09 - Days 5 & 6

Sat, 27 Jun 2009 15:56:25 -0400

Friday brought us to the end of our first week of regularly scheduled events. In addition to the usual agenda of rehearsals, we held our final music sharing session for the participant composers. Then in the evening Chen Yi presented her music in a masterclass. This event also included the first official performance of the festival - Chen Yi’s Five Bagatelles from China West, performed by flutist Pethrus Gärdborn and pianist Yenlin Goh.
Pethrus and Yenlin performed, then Dr. Chen discussed the
compositional process involved with this piece, which draws on
folk materials from minority cultures in western China.
We also listened to recordings of several of Dr. Chen’s other works,
and she discussed topics such as orchestration, musical study, and
use of folk materials. It has truly been an immense pleasure to have
Chen Yi with us this week. We will certainly miss her when she
leaves tomorrow.

Photo by Eun Young Lee

Today was our day off. We had no rehearsals, masterclasses, or other events scheduled. Instead, we went on an excursion to the Chateau de Chillon, a medieval castle on the shore of Lake Geneva. We had a tour in English with a very knowledgeable and clever guide (and some people think she looked kind of like the fashion designer from the movie “The Incredibles.”) After the tour, we had some extra time to wander the castle and enjoy the wonderful picnic lunches provided by the Hindemith Center.

Next we got on a train to the town of Vevey and spent a leisurely afternoon exploring, shopping, swimming, and visiting cafes. Vevey is a pleasant town sitting right on the shore of Lake Geneva; it is about a 20 minute train ride from Blonay.
And yes, that is a giant fork sticking out of the lake.