Filed under: News
On Friday, February 24th, the Boulder Symphony Orchestra under the directorship of Devin Hughes, will present a chamber music series featuring Colorado’s premier avant-garde music ensemble, The Playground. The Playground, Artists-in-Residence at DU’s Lamont School of Music, is a force for new music in the Rocky Mountain region. Led by Playground Founding Director and Boulder Symphony Composer-in-Residence Conrad Kehn, selections include two works by influential Polish composer Henryk Gorecki, works for clarinet and piano by Stockhausen and Berg, Steve Reich’s captivating Electric Counterpoint for guitar and prerecorded guitars, and Stephen Goss’ River Winds – a piece commissioned for The Playground by Henry Sanger.
The Boulder Symphony Orchestra presents this chamber concert in addition to a new work by Conrad Kehn entitled, Playgrosso, Concerto for Playground and Orchestra, which will be performed on Saturday, March 31 at 7:00 PM also at the First Presbyterian Church in Boulder. Note that this performance will be a world premiere of Conrad Kehn’s new composition. Included on this program will be compositions by Charles Ives, Arvo Pärt, and Johannes Brahms.
From Mr. Kehn’s website:
“Conrad Kehn is a composer, improviser, performer, educator, writer and artist. He is the founding Director of The Playground; a chamber ensemble dedicated to modern music. An award winning composer, Conrad’s style spans many genres from traditional chamber pieces to aleatory, graphic scores, multimedia works and experimental rock. His music has been performed across the U.S. including Issue Project Room (NY), Audio Inversions (Austin, TX), Pendulum New Music Series (CU-Boulder), and the Summer New Music Symposium at Colorado College.
“Conrad is an advocate for arts education. He currently serves on the Denver Public Schools Arts Resource Council, an organization that advocates for funding and support from the Denver Board of Education to deliver a comprehensive arts education for every student.
In the summer of 2010 Conrad attended the Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival as a teaching artist in the Young Composers Project. Here he worked directly with New York Philharmonic bassist Jon Deak, to learn the composition program Deak developed for young children.
“Conrad believes that it is essential for young people to see classical music is a vibrant, living art form and not a museum piece. This is done through composition and new music!
“Conrad holds a Master of Business Administration Degree (2010) from the University of Denver’s Daniels College of Business. He also holds a Master’s degree in Composition (2000) and Bachelor’s degree in Commercial Music/Recording Technology (1996) from the University of Denver’s Lamont School of Music. His composition instructors include Donald Keats, M. Lynn Baker, and Bill Hill. Conrad is currently a lecturer of Music Theory and Music Technology at Lamont.”
The February 24th concert will be begin at 7 pm (note the time) at the First Presbyterian Church, 1820 15th St., Boulder. Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for seniors and $5 for students. Additional information is available at www.bouldersymphony.org or at 970-577-1550.
Filed under: News
All of you readers must certainly know by now, that I think that the Colorado Ballet is one of the finest ballet companies in the United States, and I can promise you that I have seen quite a few. Beginning Friday, February 24, this marvelous ballet company will begin performances of Peter Pan. The ballet has been choreographed by Michael Pink, one of the finest choreographers in the United States. The music has been composed by Philip Feeney. Mr. Feeney lives in England, but if he were a resident of this country, you would see United States written again for the third time.
Feeney and Pink have worked together before, and, of course, the ballet that comes to mind immediately is Dracula, which I reviewed from the Colorado ballet performed it in October of 2010. Those of you who saw that production, should be ready to buy tickets for the performance of Peter Pan. Michael Pink, to my way of thinking, will soon replace the late Merce Cunningham as one of the most vibrant and exciting choreographers in this country. I have excerpted bio statements from their respective bios below:
“[Choreographer] Michael Pink began his tenure as Artistic Director of the Milwaukee Ballet Company in December of 2002. Since that time, he has established himself as a prominent member of the Milwaukee arts community, demonstrating his commitment to the future of dance through education and collaboration. Mr. Pink’s dramatic production of Romeo & Juliet took narrative dance drama to a new level of interpretation. His new productions of The Nutcracker and Swan Lake both received critical acclaim. Other works for the Milwaukee Ballet include Solstice and The Red Dress.”
The score for Dracula was composed by Philip Feeney. “Philip Feeney studied composition at the University of Cambridge with Robin Holloway and Hugh Wood, and at the Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome under Franco Donatoni. His works have been performed extensively throughout Europe, and he is most noted for his work in ballet and dance. After a period as pianist/composer for the Teatrodanza di Roma from 1980 to 1984, he returned to London and has been Composer in Residence for the Central School of Ballet and Musical Director for their national tour ever since. It was for Christopher Gable and Michael Pink that, in 1996, he wrote the highly acclaimed score for Dracula.”
The combination of Michael Pink and Philip Feeney is outstanding, and I encourage everyone to attend performance, even if you have never attended a ballet. You do not want to miss it.
Below is the performance schedule.
Performance Schedule for Peter Pan
Friday, Feb. 24, 2012 @ 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 25, 2012 @ 2 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 25, 2012 @ 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, Feb. 26, 2012 @ 2 p.m.
Wednesday, Feb. 29, 2012 @ 6:30 p.m.
Friday, Mar. 2, 2012 @ 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Mar. 3, 2012 @ 2 p.m.
Saturday, Mar. 3, 2012 @ 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, Mar. 4, 2012 @ 2 p.m.
Sunday, Mar 4, 2012 @ 6:30 p.m.
Composer William Hill, who is Principal Timpanist for the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, is going to have his Symphony Nr. 3 premiered on January 6 and January 7, 2012. I will state this again, this is a World Premier. I restated that because in the last year, I have attended two other world premieres, and I could not help but notice that the audience was far too small. There are some very fine composers in this state, and so many of the concert audience seems to pay little attention when a new work is performed for the first time.
If it is frustrating for me, who has an interest in music history and things musicological, think how frustrating it is for the composers. They would like to have their pieces heard and appreciated. And, I wonder why the historical significance of a new work seems to escape so many serious music lovers. Think of all the excitement that has happened at world premieres in the past: indignant audiences threw chairs in Paris; and before that, a soprano soloist came to the podium of the deaf composer/conductor, and turned him around so he could see the audience wildly cheering in appreciation of his last symphony. How many of you music lovers know to which concerts and composers I’m alluding?
So you see, if you love music and you want to associate this work with this time, you simply have to come hear a brand new Symphony. Just because the composer has not traveled a great distance to have the Colorado Symphony play his composition (and I know many of you are anticipating what I’m going to say next), please do not take the composer for granted.
So that you may know what to expect from Mr. Hill’s World Premier of his Third Symphony, I am going to include notes on the work, which were written by him and sent to me. The only thing that I have added is a miniature, six word glossary, which may be helpful to those of you who do not have professional music training. I will list the glossary first rather than at the end of the article.
idée fixe – Berlioz’ name for the principal subject of his Symphonie fantastique. It occurs in all the movements, representing the artist at various stages of his life. It is considered an important forerunner of Wagner’s leitmotiv.
12 tone row – The use of all twelve tones in one octave (think chromatic scale) to provide the basis of a composition, rather than the eight notes of a major or minor scale.
modal writing – the use of the Medieval church modes. Modes have no leading tone (and are, therefore, not considered scales) as do major or minor scales; therefore, there is no sense tonality.
bitonality – the simultaneous use of two different keys.
kalimba – The thumb piano is an African musical instrument: a type of plucked idiophone common throughout Sub-Saharan Africa. The thumb piano is most commonly held in both hands with both thumbs being used to pluck tines either simultaneously or in turn.
Fibonacci sequence – In mathematics, the Fibonacci numbers are the numbers in the following integer sequence: 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144, etc. By definition, the first two numbers in the Fibonacci sequence are 0 and 1, and each subsequent number is the sum of the previous two.
Here are the notes by composer, William Hill:
“The first sketches for Symphony #3 were written in July of 2011, and the score was composed from the middle of August through October, and completed on October 27, 2011. The three movements are through-composed and don’t follow the traditional forms of the 19th Century symphony. Duration is approximately 28 minutes. An idée fixe, with numerous modifications, is used in all movements, and several other motives evolve and repeat throughout the piece. Even these secondary themes have some relation to the idée fixe, so in many ways the form is created by the metamorphosis of one single musical gesture.
“Using one principal idea throughout a large composition is the basis of much of the contrapuntal music of Bach, and, of course, many other composers such as Berlioz, Stravinsky, and Bartok. There are hidden quotes in the symphony from all four of these composers as well as a three chord progression used by Led Zeppelin and other rock groups. Again all of these little musical expressions are secondary to, and closely related, to the idée fixe.
“The outer two movements are large in scale and orchestration, while the middle movement is more intimate. The harmonic and rhythmic languages of the piece contain many of the usual modern devices: mixed meter, off set accents, ethnic rhythms, spatial notation with no time signature, tertian and quartal harmony, clusters, free chromaticism, a 12 tone row, modal writing, and bitonality. Parts of the string sections are equipped with microphones and run through electronic processing to create distortion and delay. The harp, piano, and kalimba are also amplified. Total duration is approximately 30 minutes.
“Here is a brief movement by movement description of Symphony #3.
“Movement I: Andante, Allegro, Largo, Vivace
“The first notes D#, E, and F, heard in violins and clarinets present the idée fixe, and lead to a chord of rising fourths based on the opening notes of the Bartok Concerto for Orchestra. This introduction accelerates into an allegro section with 2 main thematic ideas, the idée fixe, and a motive developed from the 4 note cluster Bb, A, C, and B. Bitonal chords and Stravinsky-like rhythms propel the music relentlessly to a climax that gives way to the largo and a third thematic piece. This section features thick, string harmonies that glissando into other chords, a lyric horn solo, and a horn and oboe duet. Fragments from the introduction lead to the final vivace, which juxtaposes the idée fixe and various other thematic bits from the movement.
“Movement II: Moderato, Andante, Adagio
“The second movement begins in free notation with a collage of percussion, harp, piano, and strings. Sound effects in the brass and an airy piccolo solo lead to a section in African rhythm and mode, with a lyric flute solo accompanied by kalimba (African thumb piano), marimba, and other African percussion. Each of the principal woodwinds and the entire percussion section are featured in this section of counterpoint with various ostinati and ever changing subdivisions of the meter. The Andante follows beginning with a chorale for brass and winds and moving through solos for horn, clarinet, and trumpet, all abstractions of the idée fixe intervals. The Adagio brings this movement to a close with the chorale, now in strings, one last statement of the idée fixe in solo trumpet, and an almost ghost like reappearance of the kalimba motive.
“Movement III: Vivace, Allegro, Largo, Allegro
“Symphony #3′s final movement grows organically from a fast percussion and harp rhythmic motive. Instruments join in section by section until the idée fixe motive appears in violins and trombone. Various rhythmic and melodic fragments from earlier movements are reused mostly as secondary ideas to the main theme, but always driving the music forward. This section explodes into a slower Allegro. The Allegro is the one section in the entire piece that purposefully avoids the idée fixe. The music is thinly orchestrated with solo winds, percussion, and piano, and is a working-out of the various permutations of a 12 tone row, with meter based on the first 5 numbers of a Fibonacci sequence. A Largo brass chorale follows with a mix of tertian and quartal harmony, the top note of each chord sounding a repetition of the original form of the tone row. The symphony ends with a gradually building Allegro. The idée fixe, opening fourths, driving rhythm, glissando chords, a statement of the tone row, and previously mentioned quotes, all work their way into this finale, building to a powerful and dramatic ending.”
I sincerely hope that there will be a huge audience at this World Premier. It is, after all, being performed by the Colorado Symphony Orchestra on two different days, so, you see, all of you music lovers will have an opportunity to come hear it.
It may be a very exciting recollection in years to come, when you can tell your grandchildren, “Yes, I was at the world premiere of William Hill’s Symphony Nr. 3.”
Filed under: News
I was very pleased to get an e-mail from Matthew Dane who is a fine violist. He and his wife, the flautist, Christina Jennings, both teach on the music school faculty at CU in Boulder. Together with Amy Cheng, pianist, and Chad Burrow, who plays clarinet, they have formed a new chamber group known as the Peak Performance Chamber Series. I am strongly of the opinion that there can never be too many high-quality musical organizations in the state. I am familiar with all four of these artists, and I have enclosed the links to their website below so that you may become familiar with them. I can promise you that this is an ensemble to be excited about, and I hope that all of you readers will give them a big welcome.
Below, I enclose the press release that I received from Matt Dane in its entirety. Read it, and support them by attending their performances. You will not be disappointed.
http://www.daneviola.com/home.htm
http://www.christinajennings.com/index.php?page=homepage
http://www.chadburrow.com/web/home.aspx
http://www.pmiarts.com/index_files/AmyChen.htm
Press Release – Peak Performance Chamber Series
Contact: Matthew Dane 303-507-3787, matt@daneviola.com
An exciting new chamber music series debuts in Denver this autumn. Peak Performances Chamber Series announced their opening concert will take place at 4pm, Saturday November 12, at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church. The concert will feature co-artistic directors Matthew Dane (violist) and Christina Jennings (flutist), joined by Guest Artists Amy Cheng (pianist) and Chad Burrow (clarinetist).
The program will feature the artists in various trio combinations – a piece written for the players by Edward Knight, a rare performance of Bruch’s “Eight Pieces” in its entirety, an arrangement of Debussy’s orchestral masterpiece “Afternoon of a Faun”, and Bernstein’s Clarinet Sonata showcasing the guests.
Burrow and Cheng’s involvement in this inaugural performance has special significance to Dane and Jennings; together in 2003, the four of them launched a chamber ensemble in Oklahoma City, Brightmusic. Burrow and Cheng continue to artistically direct this group, now an established part of that area’s cultural landscape.
The mission of Peak Performances Chamber Series is to provide audiences in the Denver area the opportunity to experience the highest level of chamber music in an intimate, personal setting, played by exceptional musicians from the region and the country. Another focus and passion of the series is to develop and expand audiences, specifically families for whom it is otherwise a challenge to attend concerts. To this end, student musicians will be admitted free to all concerts when accompanied by a paying adult. Also, for a modest fee and with advance reservation, childcare will be available to children age 6 and younger. General admission is $20. Please call 303-507-3787 for more information, or by November 1st to make a childcare reservation.
Peak Performances will present two other concerts in its inaugural year: a string sextet showcase on January 14, 2012, and the Lefthand Canyon Trio on May 19. 2012.
Violist Matthew Dane is well known in this region and beyond as a collaborator, teacher, and performer. Principal violist of the River Oaks Chamber Orchestra in Houston and member of several chamber ensembles, he was previously tenured faculty at the University of Oklahoma and Editor of the American Viola Society’s Journal.
Flutist Christina Jennings is a past winner of the Concert Artists Guild Competition and she has appeared as soloist with over fifty orchestras. On the faculty of the University of Colorado, she also directs the nationally recognized Panoramic Flutist Seminar.
Born in Taiwan, pianist Amy I-Lin Cheng has been described by the New York Concert Review as a pianist whose “control of the keyboard is complete, technique easy and relaxed, with a wide range of touch.” Amy has appeared in recitals at venues such as the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Merkin Concert Hall in New York City, Weill Recital Hall in Carnegie Hall, and National Concert Hall in Taipei.
Clarinetist Chad Burrow’s playing has been described as “brilliant technique and tonal beauty mixed with an expressive ferocity.” Formerly Principal clarinetist of the Oklahoma City Philharmonic and the New Haven Symphony, he is now on the faculty at the University of Michigan and concertizes regularly in the US, Asia, and Europe.
Filed under: News | Tags: Breanne Cutler, Catherine Sailer, David Wetherill, Lamont Symphony Orchestra, Lawrence Golan, Rin-Jong Yang, Steven Mayer, Travis Jürgens
The University of Denver’s Lamont Symphony Orchestra has several interesting programs this season, as well as several interesting performers and conductors. This season we will get to hear the seldom performed work by Vaughn Williams entitled the Sea Symphony, which is written for orchestra and chorus. I encourage all of you to come to this particular performance because this is an absolutely beautiful piece of music. This work will be conducted by Catherine Sailer. We will also get to hear Ravel’s orchestration of Mussorgsky’s pictures at an exhibition. This is a great piece, but I do wish pianists would not seem to be so fearful of it, and perform the original version on the keyboard. Actually, the original version was done for two pianos, and then Mussorgsky’s rewrote it for one piano. It sounds just as perfect on the keyboard as Ravel’s orchestration.
We will also get to hear program conducted by Rin Jong Yang, Travis Jürgens, and Breanne Cutler. In addition, we will hear David Wetherill perform the Mozart horn Concerto on a Natural Horn, that is to say, a French horn with no valves (or keys).
The season schedule follows:
Fall 2011
October 11, 7:30 pm
Opening Night with David Wetherill, former Principal Horn of the Philadelphia Orchestra
Strauss: Overture to Die Fledermaus, Travis Jürgens, Conductor
Mozart: Horn Concerto No. 3, David Wetherill, Natural Horn
R. Strauss: Horn Concerto No. 1, David Wetherill, Horn
Sibelius: Symphony No. 5
David Wetherill, long-time first-horn player with the Philadelphia Orchestra, began his professional career as Principal Horn with the renowned opera house, “Teatro alla Scala” in Milan, Italy, playing the greatest operas with the finest singers and conductors in the world. In 1976, Pierre Boulez asked Mr. Wetherill to come to Paris to work with the “Ensemble InterContemporain,” as a founding member of that cutting-edge chamber orchestra. During this period, he performed literally dozens of premieres by the leading contemporary composers of the day, including Berio, Stockhausen, Xenakis, Boulez, and Messiaen. At the invitation of Maestro Eugene Ormandy, Mr. Wetherill returned to Philadelphia, where he played for nearly 30 years. Now retired from full time performing, he is active with teaching and conducting, and occasionally performing on the horn if the stars line up properly. Mr. Wetherill is the Associate Conductor of the Lower Merion Symphony, where he conducts regularly. He also has conducted the Orchestra Society of Philadelphia.
November 3-5, 7:30 pm & November 6, 2:30 pm
Fall Opera
Gounod: Faust
November 17, 7:30 pm
Travis Jürgens, Artist Diploma Recital
Mozart: Overture to Le nozze di Figaro
Copland: Appalachian Spring Suite (Original 13 Instrument Version)
Handel: Overture to Solomon
Rachmaninov: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Steven Mayer, Piano
Travis Jürgens has performed in the United States, Europe, and Japan. Musicians who have played under his baton have commented on his exceptional talent, dynamic musicianship, imagination, and strong leadership. He earned his Bachelor’s in Piano Performance with High Distinction from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, and his Master’s in Orchestral Conducting from the University of Illinois. Additionally, he studied at the Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst Wien and the Institut für Europäishe Studien in Vienna, Austria. He also made his Viennese debut as guest conductor of the IES Vienna Chamber Orchestra.
He has served as Graduate Assistant Conductor and General Manager of the University of Illinois Philharmonia Orchestra, and as a cover conductor for the University of Illinois Orchestras. He was also the Assistant Conductor for the University of Illinois Opera Theater production of Hansel and Gretel by Neely Bruce. While in Illinois, he founded the United Orchestra of Urbana.
The soloist, Steven Mayer, is Professor of Piano at the International Keyboard Institute and Festival at Mannes College of Music. He has served as Visiting Lecturer in Piano at UCLA, Professor of Piano at the Manhattan School of Music, and is currently Associate Professor with Tenure at University of Denver’s Lamont School of Music.
Winter 2012
January 15, 3:00 pm
Side-by-Side with the Phoenix Youth Symphony
Strauss: Also sprach Zarathustra
February 9, 7:30 pm
Rin Jong Yang, Guest Conductor
Elgar: Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1 in D Major
Beethoven: Symphony No. 5
Mussorgsky, orch. Ravel: Pictures at an Exhibition
Maestro Rin-Jong Yang, one of the most prominent conductors of South Korea, has extensive experience conducting orchestras in various countries and has a vast repertoire ranging from Baroque music to contemporary music.
He was Visiting Professor at the University of British Columbia and Professor of Yeungnam University. In Korea he conducted the Suwon Philharmonic Orchestra for seven and half years. Internationally he has been Guest Conductor of Brasov Philharmonic conducting festival programs of Brahms, Mozart, Mendelssohn, Beethoven, and Tchaikovsky. In addition, he has been the guest conductor of orchestras throughout Russia, Jerusalem, and South America. As a Professional Violinist and Violist, Dr. Yang has performed at Carnegie Hall with Pianist Raymond Dudley, Suntory Hall in Japan, and Third International Viola D’Amore Congress.
March 8. 7:30 pm
Titans!
Beethoven: Overture to The Creatures of Prometheus, Breanne Cutler, Conductor
Concerto TBD (DU Honors Competition Winner)
Mahler: Symphony No. 1 “Titan”
The 2011-2012 season will be the beginning of Breanne Cutler’s position as Apprentice Conductor with the Helena Symphony Orchestra and her mentorship from Maestro Allan R. Scott. A Montana native, she has recently graduated from Montana State University- Bozeman where she was the Assistant Conductor of the MSU Symphony. She is now a graduate student studying with Dr. Lawrence Golan at University of Denver’s prestigious Lamont School of Music. There, she is the Assistant Conductor of the Lamont Symphony Orchestra while she pursues a Master of Music in Orchestral Conducting.
Ms. Cutler is also a noted classical and jazz vocalist. As a vocal major at Montana State University, she studied with Dr. Jon Harney. Along with winning the 26th MSU Concerto and Aria Competition she has taken 1st place in both the Lower Division in 2008 and Upper Division in 2010 for the Montana state competition of the National Association for Teachers of Singing.
She received the Lamont School of Music Endowed Scholarship for her pursuit of graduate study. This past spring, she graduated with honors with her Bachelor of Music Education from MSU.
Spring 2012
April 19-21, 7:30 pm & April 22, 2:30 pm
Spring Opera
Mozart: Le nozze di Figaro
May 1, 7:30 pm
New Music Concert, Breanne Cutler, Conductor
May 31, 7:30 pm
Season Finale with the Lamont Chorale, Women’s Chorus, and Men’s Choir
Adventures at Sea
Wagner: Overture to The Flying Dutchman, Travis Jürgens, Conductor
Boyer: Titanic 1997, Colorado premiere
Vaughan-Williams: Symphony No. 1, “A Sea Symphony,” Catherine Sailer, Conductor
