Miller Theatre at Columbia University continues its Composer Portraits series with a 90th birthday celebration for composer Leon Kirchner. The concert will include performances of a recent piece for flutist Paula Robison, the Claremont Trio playing Kirchner’s Trio No. 1, and the 1960 Double Concerto for violin, cello, winds, and percussion. The show starts at 8; there’s a talk onstage with the composer; tickets range from $7-$25.
Read moreWhat better way to ring in the year than to take in a couple ensembles, from opposite ends of the spectrum, showing in much the same way what the whole point of playing is? Wojciech Kilar is a Polish composer from the same 60’s group that gave us Penderecki and Gorecki, but is notable for his detour into film music (Like Coppola’s Dracula). This is his utterly simple/hard 1988 piece Orawa (there are a bunch of other video performances of this on YouTube, but this one with Agnieszka Duczmal conducting the Chamber Orchestra “Amadeus” has them all beat for pacing and
Read moreThe Manhattan edition of the Sequenza21/Lost Dog Ensemble concert–as seen in the New York Times–is happening tonight at 8 pm at the Good Shepherd Church, 152 West 66tth Street (between Broadway and Amsterdam). Admission is free, as in you don’t have to pay to get in. This is your last chance to see a Sequenza21 concert until we save up enough money to have another one so don’t miss it. Our friends at Other Minds in San Francisco invented the New Music Séance in 2005, and after two sold-out editions, they’re back with a third. The event will feature three
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Chamber Music, Classical Music, Composers, Concerts, Contemporary Classical, Downtown, Experimental Music, Improv, Music Events, New York, Piano
This Fall marks the twentieth season of provocative programming in New York City brought to you by Interpretations. Founded and curated by baritone Thomas Buckner in 1989, Interpretations focuses on the relationship between contemporary composers from both jazz and classical backgrounds and their interpreters, whether the composers themselves or performers who specialize in new music. To celebrate, Jerry Bowles has invited the artists involved in this season’s concerts to blog about their Interpretations experiences. Our fourth concert this season, on 20 November, features composer-performers JB Floyd and Raphael Mostel at Roulette. JB Floyd: My concert on the Interpretations Series on November 20th will mark
Read moreHe doesn’t sing or play the cello (as far as I know) but one of my favorite composers in the whole wide world is Erkki-Sven Tüür, another of those masterful Estonians we hear a lot about. I would say that even if I didn’t know that he is a faithful and longtime reader of Sequenza21. But, I digress. The Estonian Philharmonic Choir, with the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Tõnu Kaljuste, will be performing two of Erkki-Sven’s choral pieces next Monday night at The Community Church of New York, 40 East 35th Street. There are also pieces by Tõnu Kõrvits
Read moreThis just in from singing cellist Jody Redhage: Hi friends, I’m excited to announce that my new website is up and running! Please visit www.jodyredhage.com. Also, Fire in July is playing a really fun show this Wednesday, Nov. 12 at the Players Theatre in the Village. We’re sharing the night with fellow chamber pop band alice. Please see the details below. Hope everyone is well! All best, Jody FIRE IN JULY Wed., Nov. 12, 2008 8:00 pm alice 9:00pm Fire in July Music on MacDougal Series The Players Theatre 115 MacDougal St. (between W 3rd and Bleeker) New York, NY 10012 212-475-1449
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Bang on a Can, Chamber Music, Composers, Concerts, Contemporary Classical, Downtown, Just Intonation
Thursday morning I talked with composer Terry Riley, who is in New York this week to collaborate with the Bang on a Can All-Stars in the US premiere of his work Autodreamographical Tales at Le Poisson Rouge on 8 November. Riley is famous for being one of the “Big Four” of American minimalist composers (the others: LaMonte Young, Steve Reich, and Philip Glass). But while his early works, such as A Rainbow in Curved Air, Poppy Nogood and the Phantom Band, and the seminal In C, were musical rallying cries during minimalism’s ascendance in the 1960s, Riley’s been involved with
Read moreDavid Lang, who you will recall won this year’s Pulitzer with his piece The Little Match Girl Passion, will be submitting himself to the hard-hitting S21 interview next week. I’ll be asking him what he plans to do about the financial meltdown, the war in Iraq, and whether he stands by his selection of Sarah Palin as his running mate. Or something–I haven’t written the questions yet. In the meantime, those of you who live in New York may want to know that Wordless Music is presenting a concert of Lang’s music next Wednesday, November 5th, at Le Poisson Rouge
Read moreCharles Neidich and friends are performing Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time and music by Israeli composers. The program is below, and you can check out the notes over at my blog. Moshe Zorman – Hora Arnaud Sussmann, Violin; Vincent Balse, Piano Menachem Wiesenberg – Like Clay in the Potter’s Hand Gal Nyska, Cello; Vincent Balse, Piano Paul Ben Haim – Pastorale Variee Op. 31b Moran Katz, Clarinet; Vincent Balse, Piano Olivier Messiaen – Quartet for the End of Time Charles Neidich, Clarinet; Arnaud Sussmann, Violin; Gal Nyska, Cello; Vincent Balse, Piano
Read moreSo with all pleasures of life. All things pass with the east-flowing water. I leave you and go—when shall I return? Let the white roe feed at will among the green crags, Let me ride and visit the lovely mountains! How can I stoop obsequiously and serve the mighty ones! It stifles my soul. His Dream of the Skyland – A Farewell Poem. Li Po (Li Bai) (~701-763 CE) is universally recognized as one of the greatest Chinese poets of the Tang period, or for that matter, of the entire Chinese literary tradition. His poetry shows the influences
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