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The International Contemporary Ensemble and the Talea Ensemble at Roulette
The New York Times, September 28, 2009
Most of the pieces by composer Mario Diaz de León detailed in this review -- and one more piece I omitted due to space concerns, 2.20 for string trio and electronics -- are included on his excellent new CD, Enter Houses Of, out this Tuesday (September 29) on John Zorn's Tzadik label. I'd been wanting to hear more from Diaz de León ever since I first encountered one of his pieces in an ICE concert at P.S. 122 last May. That piece was Mansion, and it sounded even better at Roulette. Well after the concert was over, I was still lingering in a trance state induced by the last work on the program, Gated Eclipse.
Your next chance to hear ICE is coming up on Wednesday (September 30) at 7:30pm at The Tank, where flutist Eric Lamb, violist Wendy Richman and percussionist Nathan Davis will be playing electroacoustic music by Kaija Saariaho. The Talea Ensemble, which went on to play Georges Aperghis's kinky Sept crimes de l'amour at a Lexington Avenue hotel on Sunday afternoon, is now headed to Paris and London; its next New York concert, at the Tenri Cultural Institute on November 13 at 8pm, includes Morton Feldman's Why Patterns?, Salvatore Sciarrino's Omaggio a Buri and the U.S. premiere of Fabien Levy's à propos.
"Embracing the Orchestra as Alive"
The New York Times, September 27, 2009
An article about Magnus Lindberg, recently appointed the composer in residence at the New York Philharmonic. It's nearly always impossible to summarize the entirety of an interview in a print article, no matter how ample the allotted space (and this was indeed spacious, by newspaper standards). But in this case, there was just no way I could do much more than scratch the surface of the extraordinarily generous interview Lindberg granted. To snatch a notion from the example he cites of an early attempt at writing a hyper-complex woodwind quintet, I think we could very easily still be sitting there talking now and we'd still not have exhausted the subject -- or diminished Lindberg's good cheer.
The article is timed to provide advance notice that EXPO, the 10-minute curtain raiser Lindberg wrote for the orchestra's opening-night gala, will return in a series of concerts starting this Wednesday (September 30). For anyone interested in hearing all the Lindberg the Philharmonic has to offer this season, here's a summary (all conducted by Alan Gilbert, and everything at Avery Fisher Hall except where noted):
Wednesday, Sept. 30 at 7:30pm
Thursday, Oct. 1 at 7:30pm
Saturday, Oct. 3 at 8pm
Magnus Lindberg: EXPO
Charles Ives: Symphony No. 2
Charles Ives: The Unanswered Question
Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 4 (Emanuel Ax)
(details)
Saturday, February 13 at 8pm
Stern Auditorium, Carnegie Hall
Richard Wagner: Rienzi Overture
Magnus Lindberg: Clarinet Concerto (Kari Kriikku)
Jean Sibelius: Symphony No. 2
(details)
Saturday, March 6 at 2pm
Young People's Concert
Daniel Boico, conductor
Theodore Wiprud, narrator
Magnus Lindberg: Feria
(details)
Thursday, June 10 at 7:30pm
Friday, June 11 at 2pm
Saturday, June 12 at 8pm
Tuesday, June 15 at 7:30pm
Magnus Lindberg: Arena
Jean Sibelius: Violin Concerto (Lisa Batiashvili)
Johannes Brahms: Symphony No. 2
(details)
Wednesday, June 23 at 7:30pm
Thursday, June 24 at 7:30pm
Saturday, June 26 at 8pm
Magnus Lindberg: new work (world premiere)
Ludwig van Beethoven: Missa solemnis
(details)
Apart from performances of his own music, Lindberg will be involved with two programs to be presented by Contact, the orchestra's newly established contemporary series. In the first, Lindberg will conduct premieres by Marc-André Dalbavie, Lei Liang, Arlene Sierra and Arthur Kampela at Symphony Space on Thursday, December 17, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art on Saturday, December 19. The second concert, at Symphony Space on Friday, April 16 and the Met Museum on Saturday, April 17, Alan Gilbert will conduct new pieces by Sean Shepherd, Nico Muhly and Matthias Pintscher -- the last a vocal work featuring Thomas Hampson, the orchestra's artist in residence.
But the New York Philharmonic isn't keeping Lindberg entirely to itself during his inaugural season; Axiom, a sharp young new-music ensemble based at the Juilliard School, will also include his music on two concerts directed by Jeffrey Milarsky:
Monday, February 15 at 8pm
Peter Jay Sharp Theater at the Juilliard School
Kaija Saariaho: Lichtbogen
Magnus Lindberg: Clarinet Quintet
Kaija Saariaho: Serenatas
Magnus Lindberg: Engine
(details)
Wednesday, February 17 at 7pm
(Le) Poisson Rouge
pre-concert conversation with Alex Ross and Magnus Lindberg
Esa-Pekka Salonen: YTA III
Esa-Pekka Salonen: Dichotomie
Kaija Saariaho: Je sens un deuxième coeur
Magnus Lindberg: Steamboat Bill Jr.
Magnus Lindberg: UR
(details)
The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center is claiming a piece of the action as well, offering works by Lindberg on two Finn-centric concerts in March, both featuring the brilliant clarinetist Kari Kriikku.
March 16 at 7:30pm
Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center
pre-concert symposium with Wu Han in the Rose Studio at 6:30pm
Toivo Kuula: selected songs
Jean Sibelius: selected songs
Jukka Tiensuu: new work (CMS commission, U.S. premiere)
Jean Sibelius: String Quartet in D minor, "Voces Intimae"
Esa-Pekka Salonen: Floof
Magnus Lindberg: ...de Tartuffe, je crois
Olli Mustonen: Nonet II
(details)
March 18 at 7:30pm
Rose Studio at Lincoln Center
Kaija Saariaho: NoaNoa
Magnus Lindberg: Steamboat Bill Jr.
Jukka Tiensuu: Tango lunaire
Einojuhani Rautavaara: Sonetto
Uljas Voitto Pulkkis: Piano Trio
Jouni Kaipainen: String Quartet No. 5
(sold out)
Readers who don't live in or near New York City are encouraged to check the concert listings on Lindberg's pages at Boosey & Hawkes and ChesterNovello to find performances near you. And since Alex Ross credited me with inspiring his blog salute to clarinet marvel Kari Kriikku, it's only proper that I send you forth to read his appreciation -- and to hear two examples of Lindberg's burliest clank in the process.
Album review: Andrew Byrne
White Bone Country
Stephen Gosling, piano; David Shively, percussion
New World Records
Time Out New York, September 24–30, 2009
(Amazon, ArkivMusic)
Stephen Gosling and David Shively will be playing selections from White Bone Country on Sunday, September 27 at (Le) Poisson Rouge. Completing a most complementary program are Peter Garland's Peñasco Blanco and two pieces by John Luther Adams, "Wail" (from The Mathematics of Resonant Bodies) and Red Arc/Blue Veil.
The Voxare String Quartet and the NeoLit Ensemble at the Tank
The New York Times, September 21, 2009
Here's my review of the first concert in the Ear Heart Music series, a new programming initiative at The Tank in Hell's Kitchen, curated by flutist Amelia Lukas of the NeoLit Ensemble—which, you might remember, I reviewed once before in a previous appearance with a different configuration at Bargemusic.
I like the photo that ran in the Times, with the Voxare Quartet playing against the movie screen. But I was disappointed that there were no images of the NeoLit set, so I whipped out my iPhone and snapped one of my own. What you see above is Ms. Lukas, brilliant mezzo soprano Laurie Rubin and koto player Asami Tamura during their performance of Alice Shields's lovely Komachi at Sekidera.
The next scheduled event in the Ear Heart Music series won't be held until October 22—it involves an interview with composer Jason Eckardt and a toy-piano recital by Ms. Tamura. But you should definitely familiarize yourself with the Tank's burgeoning music calendar. In particular, take note of the International Contemporary Ensemble's first ICETank concert of the season, coming up on Wednesday, September 30. Devoted to the music of amazing Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho, the concert features flutist Eric Lamb in Noa Noa, violist Wendy Richman playing Vent Nocturne and percussionist Nathan Davis exploring Six Japanese Gardens. That's a nice little program—and a perfect taste to get you hooked in time for ICE's Saariaho Composer Portrait concert at Miller Theatre in November.
As is frequently the case, I return to this blog in a state of utter exhaustion, and as usual that mostly has to do with my extensive work load. I won't bother you with the minutiae, except to say that a 24-continuous-hour stretch of work was involved. Near the end, I think it took me 20 minutes to transcribe a single sentence from an interview tape -- because I kept nodding off.
I'm mostly happy with the work I'm doing, and for a variety of reasons -- some personal, some professional, some practical -- I can't really cut back, either. One side effect, though, is that this blog continues to suffer from neglect, however noble my intentions. It's a problem.
And that's why it's time to point out a few newly updated links in the blogroll to keep you preoccupied:
Daily Observations - Precisely what the title implies, courtesy of Charles Noble, assistant principal violist of the Oregon Symphony. On Twitter he's @nobleviola, and through his blog you'll make all kinds of wonderful discoveries, like the quirky little list of hot young conductors embedded in the middle of an Alan Gilbert profile on The Daily Beast.
Là ci darem la mano - Maura Lafferty is a young arts professional working in public relations in San Francisco, where she works with Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg and the New Century Chamber Orchestra. As @mlaffs she's a constant delight on Twitter. Her blog is new, and already shows the same buoyant spirit.
Life's a Pitch - Amanda Ameer is another P.R. pro, one who makes her very busy living in New York. On her blog she discusses strategy, dissects good and bad marketing campaigns and generally offers sharp insights into parts of the classical-music business normally hidden from view. She's not on Twitter, but ought to be.
San Francisco Classical Voice - SFCV is your excellent guide to all the fine things happening in the Bay Area. I don't know why I didn't add it to the blogroll years ago, but a sharp new redesign is as good a reason as any to turn your attention westward.
Urban Modes - Cornelius Dufallo (@cdufallo) is an excellent violinist with a fine new solo CD under his belt; he also plays in Ethel and Ne(x)tworks, two of New York's most vital, innovative ensembles. You'll learn all about Neil on his blog, but what's just caught my attention is a neat series of interviews he's doing with composers. His latest subject, Alexandra Gardner, also has a blog of her own, Building Noises, that's well worth checking out.
(photograph by Michelle V. Agins/The New York Times)
"Out of School, Into the Nightclubs"
The New York Times, September 13, 2009
My contribution to the annual "New Season" roundup in the Times is a brief piece about a new working collaboration among (Le) Poisson Rouge, Carnegie Hall and the Juilliard School. The benefits on all sides are clear. For LPR, the hook-up provides easier access to big-name performers, as well as ongoing relationships with two bright young groups: Ensemble ACJW, an excellent band fielded by Carnegie, Juilliard and the Weill Music Institute, and Axiom, a terrific Juilliard new-music ensemble. Carnegie, meanwhile, gains direct access to new audiences, while Juilliard students are provided with fresh insights into how a young classical musician might navigate a rapidly changing arts market.
The end of the article also mentions the arrival of Eric Sosa, a new booker at Galapagos Art Space in Brooklyn, whose plans will further enrich New York's contemporary music scene. Limited space prevented me from elaborating upon specific Galapagos highlights like Archipelago, a new series from the tireless innovators at New Amsterdam Records, and an upcoming record-release event featuring visionary singer-composer Mikel Rouse.
I'm grateful to Eric, and to Juilliard's Ara Guzelimian, for participating in this article. I'd also like to express my thanks to Jeffrey Milarsky, Axiom's director and an esteemed conductor and percussionist; while I didn't have sufficient space to incorporate our interview into the piece, our conversation played an important part in my shaping the story.