Pittsburgh New Music Net

Chatham University’s James Laughlin Music Center

Soprano Kelly Fiona Lynch and pianist Walter Morales present a unique recital of music of Alban Berg, Reza Vali (World Premiere), Charles Griffes and Richard Strauss. The program includes Berg’s Seven Early Songs, Vali’s “Being of Love”, Folk Songs No. 16 (in its piano version premiere), Griffes’ “Three Poems of Fiona MacLeod”,and Strauss’ “Four Last Songs”. Kelly performed Judith Weir’s King Harald Saga in several locations around town last year.

Witnessing a performance by Amy Williams and Helena Bugallo brings to mind science fiction-y terms like “shared consciousness” or “mind meld”.  They’re that tight. You can see the duo in action on Sunday afternoon when they premiere Williams’ Crossings for Pittsburgh Chamber Music Society’s Bridges Fine-tuned series. Williams is one of four composers PCMS commissioned to celebrate Pittsburgh’s 250th anniversary. Along with music by Kurtag, Nancarrow, and Stravinsky, the duo will also include works by Machaut, Frescobaldi, Purcell, and J.S. Bach, which is nice; concerts should include old music every once in a while.

The Bugallo-Williams Piano Duo performs on Sunday March 8 at 3 p.m. in Pitt’s Frick Fine Arts Auditorium. Tickets are available through ProArts and at the door.

(Also, don’t forget to set your clocks ahead tonight!)

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. 

The next 10 people who register for Pittsburgh New Music Net will receive free tickets to the Biava Quartet’s premiere of David Stock’s String Quartet No. 8 on Saturday, February 7 at the New Hazlett. Also on the program are Shostakovich String Quartet No. 8 in c minor, Op. 110 and Mendelssohn String Quartet in f minor, Op. 80., so there really is something for everyone. 

Registering is free and simple. Scroll down the right-hand column to “Meta” and click “Register.” After you’re signed up I’ll send you an e-mail to confirm that you’ll be attending the concert and your name will be placed on the will-call list. It’s that easy.

Frick Fine Arts Auditorium

For the third concert in the Pittsburgh Chamber Music Society’s Bridges Festival,  the Mobius Saxophone Quartet will premiere Mark Fromm’s new composition.

Tickets are available through ProArts.

Frick Fine Arts Auditorium

As the second installment of the Pitsburgh Chamber Music Society’s Bridges Festival, the Bugallo-Willaims Piano Duo will perform Amy Williams new piano composition as well as excerpts from Gyorgy Kurtag’s Jatekok, transcriptions of music by by Machaut, Frescobaldi, Purcell, and J.S. Bach, Conlon Nancarrow’s Studies for Player Piano, and  Igor Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring.

Tickets are available through ProArts.

While most of the media attention this week is deservedly on the PSO’s “Special Concerts” with John Adams, there’s still more new music happening over the weekend. Music on the Edge presents the remarkable clarinetist Jean Kopperud and the equally remarkable Stephen Gosling on piano. The duo will perform an entire recital of premieres, including a new piece by Eric Moe and several short pieces by David Felder for clarinet, bass clarinet, and processed sound. If you were at the MOTE concert honoring Eugene Phillips last January, you may remember that Felder was also featured as Lehar composer-in-residence and his sonically rich works for acoustic instruments and live electronics were very well received.

Also, MOTE is offering everyone who shows up a free cup of hot chocolate (even though by Saturday the forecast is calling for a high of 18° …woohoo!) so how can you go wrong?

(Full disclosure: promoting MOTE is part of my job at Pitt, and I also like hot chocolate.)