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Peter Lieberson. Photo credit: Becky Starobin

Peter Lieberson’s record label, Bridge Records, has been kind enough to share some of his music with us: an excerpt from The Six Realms, one of his later and larger works and a piece that has an explicitly Buddhist programmatic element.

Here is movement 5, performed by cellist Michaela Fukacova, the Odense Symphony Orchestra, and conducted by Justin Brown. The recording is from Bridge 9178, The Music of Peter Lieberson.

The Six Realms V. The Human Realm

The Six Realms for Cello and Orchestra (2000)

Program Note:

In addition to silk and other precious goods, the Silk Road helped disseminate Buddhism, one of its earliest, and most valuable, cultural exports. For almost thirty years, Peter Lieberson has been a devout Buddhist, having studied with the great Chogyam Trungpa, a Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhist master he met in 1974. Says Lieberson, “Buddhism’s appeal to me in the early 1970s was that it was not a religion in the conventional Western sense. Buddhism did not posit the existence of any external deity or savior or, for that matter, an individual personal ego…The basic message of the great Buddhist masters was: Be brave enough to experience existence without dogma or beliefs of any kind.”

Lieberson left New York City in 1976 for Boulder, Colorado, to absorb the Tibetan master’s wisdom, especially the concepts, experiences, and views of the Shambhala tradition as presented by Trungpa in his book Shambhala: the Sacred Path of the Warrior. “I went to a Buddhist seminary where I studied intensively for three months,” Lieberson has said. “When I started writing music again, my style had changed…There was less sense of struggle…the horizon expanded. It’s as if you had tunnel vision, and then you have panoramic vision. Studying Buddhism also affected my approach to composing [in that] I understand there’s a kind of journey that’s made.” After completing his studies, Lieberson directed Shambhala Training, a meditation and cultural program, for a number of years, both in Boston and in Halifax, all the while building an international reputation as a composer. Observed writer Victoria Roth in 1989: “Since Lieberson’s commitment to Buddhism is intensely personal, it is not reflected in compositions that sound ‘Eastern’.” Lieberson has devoted his time exclusively to composition since 1994. Although his musical language has not changed greatly, most of his works now deal with Buddhist subjects or concepts. It is a philosophy as life-giving for Lieberson as air itself.

At the request of Yo-Yo Ma, who had played in the 1992 premiere of King Gesar, Lieberson conceived a concerto for amplified cello and orchestra, entitled The Six Realms, that outlines a key Buddhist teaching: that differing states of mind and emotions color our view of the world and shape human experience. This philosophy is reflected in the piece’s formal structure (see diagram below); each of the concerto’s six continuous sections represents a different state of being.

The Six Realms is structured as follows:

1. The Sorrow of the World (introduction)
2. The Hell Realm (aggression: acute, self-perpetuating anger at the world and ourselves)
3. The Hungry Ghost Realm (passion: the need to possess or continually consume; we are never satisfied because we can never get enough)
4. The Animal Realm (ignorance: an obsessive need to control or to find security)
5. The Human Realm (passion: the desire for something better, and a lessening of self-absorption, allows for the possibility of our becoming dignified humans who long for liberation from these six realms of existence. It is only from this realm that we are able to move on to achieve Enlightenment: the right way to view, and interact with, the world.)
6. The God Realm (ignorance: blissful self-absorption of our godlike powers, until doubt sets in and shatters our confidence) and The Jealous God Realm (aggression: extreme paranoia and competitive drive; we never trust anyone or their motives)

Put simply, Buddhists believe that humans cycle back and forth, endlessly, through these six states, experiencing the concomitant afflictions that attach themselves to each level. In Lieberson’s Six Realms, the cello soloist acts as emotional protagonist and the orchestra’s “guide” — a cousin to the Romantic concerto’s “hero” — leading all of us from realm to realm until we finally are able to liberate ourselves from this misery-inducing cycle. By simply letting go of the neurotic attachments in our lives, we become fully aware of our self-destructive behavioral and thought patterns, thereby achieving spiritual fulfillment as the realms collapse upon themselves. Counterbalancing this concerto’s Eastern philosophy is Lieberson’s Western, modernist musical language. Although not programmatic, the piece’s subtle use of musical imagery allows the listener without any previous knowledge of Buddhist tenets to grasp its depiction of universal human experiences.

Deerhoof’s tenth LP Deerhoof vs. Evil is out on Polyvinyl on 1/25. In the meantime, the label has a number of teaser tracks up on their Soundcloud page, helping us to get into a merry spirit indie rock style.


Deerhoof – The Merry Barracks by Polyvinyl Records

It’s hard to believe it, but Dar Williams has been recording for seventeen years! Many Great Companions (Razor and Tie) is the folk singer-songwriter’s just-released double CD. A career retrospective, it features a number of guest appearances by folk and pop stars: Sean and Sara Watkins of Nickel Creek, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Patty Larkin, Motherlode, and Gary Louris of the Jayhawks.

One disc is a greatest hits compilation; but the other is a set of 12 stripped down acoustic versions of songs from Williams’ catalog. Thus, while it’s a handy overview, it’s hardly a redundant addition to any fan’s collection. Indeed, it’s stirring to hear Williams’ voice as strong as ever on the new acoustic versions of her songs. It’s equally refreshing to witness the strength of this material, which thrives without the need for any studio embellishments.

A free download of one of these unplugged renditions, “If I Wrote You,” is below.

MP3: If I Wrote You (Dar Williams, featuring Gary Louris)

Want more free music? We’re running a giveaway: the first person to email me with the title of Williams’ debut album gets a free copy of Many Great Companions!

Tomorrow at 12:30 PM (EST), Dar will be taking part in a live performance and Q&A. You can check it out on Livestream, or come back here to watch it on the embedded player below.

This coming Wednesday, Le Poisson Rouge is hosting a showcase for one of our favorite up and coming UK labels: Nonclassical.

The concert features the music of label founder Gabriel Prokofiev. Grandson of the great Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev, Gabriel is not only a mean turntablist; he provides a fascinating viewpoint on concert music with his “non classical” compositions. The Russian pianist GéNIA will present selections from his Piano Book No. 1, which she recently recorded for the imprint.

The Piano Book reflects Prokofiev’s uneasy relationship with classical music. His usual penchant is for blurring the distinctions between his work as a DJ with more formal compositions – his concerto for turntables and orchestra is a good example. But here Prokofiev, doubtless in no small part due to GéNIA’s encouragement, crafts an engaging series of postmodern Character-Stücke. A piece such as “Rockaby” is instructive. It begins with lullaby signatures, articulated with somewhat portentous harmonies. This gradually evolves into aggressive “rocking” music: punk rock for the piano. The coda returns to the earlier ambience; but after all the ruckus, good luck getting back to sleep!

Also on hand is Joby Burgess (aka Powerplant). He’ll perform an excerpt from Import/Export, Prokofiev’s newest Nonclassical release. A CD/DVD double disc, I/E is a suite for “global junk” percussion, ranging from soda bottles to oil drums. The instrumental palette recalls some of the junkyard percussion efforts of Lou Harrison and Harry Partch. But Prokofiev’s music, and Powerplant’s performances thereof, rock more heartily!

Concert details, as well as a couple of teaser videos, are below.

Non Classical Showcase
Wed., July 21, 2010 / 6:30 PM
Tickets: $10
Le Poisson Rouge
158 Bleecker Street
New York, NY 10012
Phone: (212) 505-FISH (3474)

I’m still reveling in the memory of So Percussion’s appearance with the Orchestra of the League of Composers last week. And here’s a new recording of music of another sort altogether!

So’s latest collaboration is with Baltimore electronica duo and frequent Björk collaborators Matmos. On Treasure State, a recording for the Cantaloupe imprint, they create a patchwork quilt of found object percussion, glitchtronica beats, synthetic signatures, and complex rhythmic structures. Despite the multifaceted nature of the proceedings, the underlying groove remains eminently danceable.

Here’s a taste of their work: a YouTube clip from their recent show at Le Poisson Rouge.

Travelers in Space, the new Apples in Stereo release, is out now. As you can see clearly above, its easily one of their most fun-loving and catchy releases to date: and that’s saying something!

Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings
I Learned the Hard Way
Daptone Records CD

I’ve had Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings in heavy rotation this past week. Their brand new fourth LP, I Learned the Hard Way is the group’s finest outing yet. Jones and company have crafted a deft homage to soul classics past (redolent in Stax signatures). But they never seem stuck in the past – their performances are vibrant, committed, and eminently soulful.

The songs on the album, which are contributions by members of the Dap-Kings, are excellent as well. The title track, and album’s lead off single, with its rollicking hook, sassy horns charts, and rousing call and response vocals may sound like its from another era; but by all rights it should be charting right now! Meanwhile, “Mama Don’t Like my Man” is reminiscent of 60s girl groups, but the intensity of Jones’ vocal imparts what could be an easily digestible genre number with an urgency and poignancy that makes it an affecting ballad. Meanwhile, “Window Shopping” is slinky, funky, and suave, recalling the fluidity and rhythmic flexibility of Curtis Mayfield. The Dap-Kings outdo themselves here, crafting a backing track that supports Jones with rock solid rhythms, while occasionally diverting the listener with sultry saxophone riffs and tasty keyboard figurations.

As the following video shows, Jones and the Dap-Kings are willing to have a little bit of fun with the cinematic analogue to their music-making, recalling Blaxploitation films such as Shaft and Foxy Brown. We’ve also got a teaser track, the title track, on offer below.

MP3: Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings “I Learned the Hard Way”

Jamie Lidell’s new CD, Compass, is slated for May release on Warp. He released a sneak peek today: a video for “The Ring.”