Pittsburgh New Music Net

Violinist Mary Rowell and pianist Geoffrey Burleson will perform at the Warhol on Saturday night (Feb. 21st ) as part of the Music on the Edge/ Warhol collaboration. Mary and Geoff answered some questions via e-mail about their upcoming program, how they approach their art, and where they see contemporary music headed, and they don’t hold back.

PNMN: Your Music on the Edge program at the Warhol covers a really wide range of styles, from Vincent Persichetti to Arvo Pärt to Amy Kohn… those are three very different artists right there. Do you see any overarching theme for the program or was the goal more to represent the variety of contemporary music?

MR: Our programming is based on our own current musical interests with an eye toward interesting juxtapositions that come about by creating a program from these interests. The obvious similarities of George Antheil, Vincent Perschetti and Julia Wolfe of a compositional order of energy and a certain type of urban-ness. Eve Beglarian’s fascination with tone coloring and finding melody and harmony in what seems like noise is complimented by Arvo Pärt’s chant-like Fratres .The whimsical music hall quality of Amy Kohn’s music is touched with a wondrous quality yet can be tied with Antheil’s popular song qualities. Jon Appleton, known for his innovative work and teaching in the electronic medium, is represented here with a new sonata that is reminiscent of Darius Milhaud; tonal, lush and evoking early swing music. I suppose all the program lacks is atonality… It certainly offers many different music voices

GB: One by now very well-established 20th/21st-century musical genre is that of the wacky-stylistic-juxtaposition piece. George Antheil helped to codify this genre in his 1923 Sonata No. 2 for Violin, Piano and Drum, with which we open the program. Phrases of ragtime, stride, sentimental popular song, and grandiose romanticism collide with each other, but are linked by use of the same motifs, and are satirically charged via sudden, unexpected dissonances. Just when you expect a final cadence in F Major, the piano enters with industrial music, with clusters and single notes in rhythmic patterns evoking the music of factory machines. But the piece ends with a soft, plaintive duet between the violin and drums. The juxtapositions within this piece set up the myriad contrasts for the rest of our program, taken from the sublime crazy quilt of American Music: the beautifully crafted, distinctive classicism and romanticism of Persichetti; the intensely spiritual music of Pärt, with its allusions to both ancient chant and to the Baroque Chaconne; the avant-pop of Amy Kohn… (more…)

Carnegie Mellon University’s Alumni Recital Hall

with openers Michael Boyd (electronics) and Ryan Socrates (percussion).
$15 advance, $20 door. $10 with university student photo ID.
Call 412-361-2262 for information.

The Ethnic Heritage Ensemble is a legendary Chicago free-jazz outfit that has been together for 35 years, making it one of the longest continuously running groups in jazz. The EHE was formed shortly after percussionist Kahil El-Zabar graduated from the school of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) in 1976 – the same AACM which had earlier spawned the Art Ensemble of Chicago and Anthony Braxton. El-Zabar teamed up with tenor saxophonist Edward Wilkerson, Jr. to play music that combined contemporary African American musical styles, like jazz, with more traditional African instrumentation and rhythms. The duo would frequently swell to a trio in those early years, adding musicians like saxophonist Light Henry Huff and Kalaparusha Maurice McIntyre. In 1988, they added trombonist and conga player Joseph Bowie, the leader of the jazz-funk group Defunkt.  In 1997, Wilkerson was replaced by saxophonist Ernest “Khabeer” Dawkins who is the leader of New Horizons Ensemble, and the current ensemble was completed by the inclusion of trumpeter Corey Wilkes.

Kahil El-Zabar is also well known for his group The Ritual, which has recently included such legendary members as violinist Billy Bang and saxophonist Pharaoh Sanders. A review of the Ethnic Heritage Ensemble’s concert DVD “Hot ‘n Heavy – Live at the Ascension Loft” can be found on the All About Jazz site at this link:

http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=25175

A quick reminder about two three upcoming concerts:

On Thursday, February 12, David Stock leads the Duquesne Contemporary Music Ensemble in premieres by Andrew Kaiser and Paul Richards.

On Saturday, February 14, Mattin performs at Future Tenant with local improvisation artists Michael Johnsen, Melissa St. Pierre, and Tusk Lord. 

Update: On Sunday February 15, The Ethnic Heritage Ensemble performs at Carnegie Mellon’s Alumni Hall with local artists Michael Boyd and Ryan Socrates

You can find out details for both these concerts by visiting the Events Calendar.

Biava Quartet violist and Greensburg native Mary Persin took time to answer some questions via e-mail about the quartet’s approach to new music and what to expect from their performance for Pittsburgh Chamber Music Society’s Bridges Festival on Saturday night. You will enjoy every word from this thoughtful performer, so read on! You should also check out Andy Druckenbrod’s interview with Mary in yesterday’s PG

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PNMN: The Biava Quartet has been very committed to performing new music. Is that an emphasis that the group had from its inception, or did it emerge gradually?

MP: The Biava Quartet has long had an interest in performing new music.   From the earliest days, our quartet has enjoyed the challenge of  tackling unknown works in an effort to challenge both the audience (and ourselves!) to deepen our exposure to and appreciation of all musical styles.   Not only has this provided greater musical diversity to our programmming, but this has also given us the opportunity to present music that is relevant to our time.  Working with living composers has also provided the chance to understand and embrace music on a deeper level. Through these experiences, we have all gained insight into the challenges that faced the composers of the past, all the while resulting in more vibrant interpretations of both those works as well as the music of today.  As 21st century performers, we all believe firmly that we have a responsibility to commit ourselves to bringing about the next generation of masterworks.  It was, after all, the influence of the great performer composers of the past, the majority of whom were writing music beyond the confines of their own epochs, which inspired all which we now consider canon.

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David Stock was kind enough to share a few thoughts about his Eighth String Quartet with PNMNet. The Biava Quartet will premiere the new work on Saturday night as part of the Pittsburgh Chamber Music Society’s Pittsburgh Commissions Project. The Biava will hold an open rehearsal of the piece Friday the 6th, 1 p.m., Room 322 at The Duquesne U. School of Music.

My Eighth String Quartet was written in the summer of 2007, in my composing haven, Santa Fe. It is in three movements, basically fast-slow-fast. The first is a relatively compact series of restless, agitated sections, with occasional glimmers of cantabile motifs. The middle movement features long, singing lines, often like a chorale. The final movement, much to my surprise, turned out to be a fugue, a descendant of Beethoven’s Grosse Fugue! I have no idea why a fugue seemed right; I was walking my dog early one morning, and the idea of a not-so-grosse fugue popped into my head! Counterpoint was always my worst subject as a student, so I never included one in all my LONG years of composing since then.

I usually think of myself as primarily an orchestral composer, but find I really like writing quartets. Once I heard the Biava Quartet on a recording, I knew I wanted to compose a quartet for them. I’m very grateful to the Pittsburgh Chamber Music Society for giving me the opportunity to do so; the score is dedicated to the Biava Quartet. –DS

Posted for Walter Morales

For its February 7th concert the Carnegie Mellon Contemporary Ensemble will give the world premiere of Manuel Evancho’s Piano Concerto Apophenia with graduate student Ting-Ting Wong as soloist. Also in the program is the Pittsburgh premiere of Noel Zahler’s  Agarttha for large ensemble.  The concert also includes the Pittsburgh premieres of Modal Duets of Brasilian composer Ernst Mahle and Eolia by French composer Phillipe Hurel. 

(Doors at 7 p.m.)

Future Tenant

featuring a solo performance by: 

MATTIN (internationally-touring conceptual sound artist/guitar+electronics improvisor/author from Basque Country; currently in residency at New York City’s Whitney Museum of Art; has collaborated with artists including: Eddie Prevost, Dion Workman, Oren Ambarchi, Dean Roberts, Bruce Russell, Campbell Kneale, Tony Conrad, Taku Sugimoto, Matthew Bower and Junko.) 

plus sets by local heavyweights: 

MICHAEL JOHNSEN (solo electronics)
MELISSA ST. PIERRE (solo prepared keyboard and electronics)
TUSK LORD (solo electronics) 

$7 suggested donation (for the musicians), all-ages

This event will serve as the closing reception of “SWORN IN: a group art exhibition curated by Lauri Mancuso” which features the work of Darien D’Alfonso, Edgar Um Bucholtz, Sarah Smith, Spoon Popkin, Benjamin Gersch, Jennifer Lee, John Riegert, Suzann Miriello, David Miriello and Chris Ivey.

Contact Edgar Um for more information (and thanks to Edgar for passing on information about this event).

Duquesne University’s PNC Recital Hall

David Stock conducts the Duquesne Contemporary Ensemble in premieres by Andrew Kaiser and Paul Richards.

$10 suggested donation

The New Hazlett Theater

As the first installment of Pittsburgh Chamber Music Society Bridges Festival, the Biava Quartet will give the world premiere of David Stock’s 8th String Quartet. The Biava will also perform  Shostakovich String Quartet No. 8 in c minor, Op. 110 and Mendelssohn String Quartet in f minor, Op. 80.

Updated Ticket Information

There have been a number of schedule and venue changes to the Bridges Festival which you can read about here. I’ll be posting the rest of the new info to the Events calendar soon.

UPDATE: This program has been canceled.