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Horse’s Ha

Chicagoans Janet Beveridge Bean (Freakwater) and James Elkington (Zincs) started their collaboration in 2002, but have waited until ’09 to release  Of The Cathmawr Yards  (Hidden Agenda). They’re a simpatico duo. In addition to a penchant for frequent Dylan Thomas references, the two share a thirst for musical exploration. Pairing alt-folk originals with an avant jazz rhythm section,Of the Cathmawr Yards  is a successful and novel-sounding recording that’s well worth its long gestation.

MP3: “The Piss Choir”

Miller Theatre will start their 2009-’10 season with “Wordless Music Meets Miller.” The miniseries brings together indie and contemporary classical artists for four days of shows.

PROGRAMS:

Wednesday, September 9, 8:00PM

The 802 Tour (Nico Muhly, Sam Amidon, and Doveman)

Tickets: $15

Thursday, September 10, 8:00PM

Do Make Say Think and Charles Spearin’s “The Happiness Project”

Tickets: $20

Friday, September 11, 8:00PM

Tim Hecker, Grouper, and Julianna Barwick

Tickets: $15

Saturday, September 12, 8:00PM

Destroyer, Loscil, and JACK Quartet

Tickets: $20

It seems like a natural evolution for both Ronen Givony’s Wordless Music and Melissa Smey’s Miller: both are nurturers of the hybridized, polystylistic music that seems to have captured the gestalt of 2009. Indie artists are making it cool to use classical instruments to rock out, and contemporary classical artists are moving closer than ever to popular terrain, both in terms of musical signatures and venues.

Assuming that this will find a ready and enthusiastic audience at Miller (it will), what pairings might Wordless/Miller consider next? Comment with your dream pairings of indie/new classical artists below.

Ann Southam

Pond Life

Centrediscs CMCCD 14109

On Pond Life, Canadian pianist Christina Petrowska Quilico presents a double disc dose of solo music by fellow Toronto resident, composer Ann Southam. Southam takes the image of a pond scene, with its Impressionist associations, to heart. Thus, the music emphasizes delicate shadings of harmony and soft dynamics in a group of placid, slowly evolving pieces.

The harmonic language of these pieces gravitates toward pandiatonicism. But Southam’s brand of harmony eschews a thoroughly straightforward trajectory. Often, she uses artfully placed “wrong notes” to dispel familiarity, sending a well-trod progression into unfamiliar territory. Indeed, the occasional judiciously-introduced dissonance acts like a raindrop disturbing the surface of a pond, creating a restructuring ripple effect.

Occasional moments of greater rhythmic activity, such as the considerably charming pair of “Fidget Creek” pieces, are welcome respites from the prevailing stillness. Petrowska Quilico is sensitive to the delicate balance of Southam’s compositional ecosystem, playing with assured pacing and nuanced phrasing.

Pond Life is a recording that, while primarily gentle on the surface, is consistently attention-grabbing.