Imaginary Islands, the latest entry in Bridge Records’ rather extensive Lansky discography, is composed expressly for and performed entirely by a symphony orchestra with no electronic elements whatsoever. Throughout his life, Lansky actually had composed for corporeal performers on acoustic instruments, or—as he jokingly describes them in his notes for the present CD—“carbon based life forms,” even though his reputation as a composer was established almost exclusively on the basis of his electronic music. Nevertheless, the three compositions collected on this new disc, all of which were composed within the last five years, chart a remarkable new compositional direction.
Sometimes as I compose, I find myself turning back to the same creative solutions that worked in the past. No matter how different various projects may be, I can be tempted to impose the artistic tics that have embedded themselves deeply within my subconscious. Whether I’m working on the musical equivalent of a tote bag, a greeting card, or even a bird sculpture, I find myself putting a bird on it.
Part of the appeal of things that defy expectation is their ability to surprise. But of course, repeat exposure to an initially jolting experience eventually makes it normative.
The award-winning composers share prizes of over $40,000 and receive complimentary copies of Sibelius software. They will be recognized at the annual ASCAP Concert Music Awards at Merkin Concert Hall in New York on May 24, 2012.
Write the most directly communicative melody that you can. Don’t worry about it being cheesy. Don’t worry about it being obvious. It will be. Or it won’t be.
It’s tax time and I’ve been absorbed by the process of going through my piles of receipts and credit card and bank statements to try to keep what Aunt Ir(i)s will agree is rightfully mine. If we drive to a party attended only by musicians and we sit in, can we write off the mileage? Does my New Year’s gig count this year or last year?
“Do one thing everyday that scares you.”—Eleanor Roosevelt
The San Francisco Symphony has been celebrating its centennial season this year with a slew of ambitious programs, including the return last month of its American Mavericks festival.
Just as there is no way to will oneself to sleep, there is no way to acquire more valued human qualities through some trick or shortcut, because qualities like spontaneity and sincerity seem to exist as byproducts of other decisions or actions. Yet it may be possible to cultivate other habits that make it possible for spontaneity to arise.
The MAP Fund will underwrite 41 new projects in the disciplines of dance, theater and music, all works that in some way explore the boundaries of contemporary performance practices. A panel of peers selected the grantees from more than 800 submissions and the projects will be supported with grants ranging from $10,000 to $45,000. Projects funded include new works by Corey Dargel, Pamela Z, and Yoav Gal.
The NEA/Kickstarter cage-match narrative compels because it gets at a central debate in American society: the value of shaping markets through planning and policy versus letting them run free.
I’m not sure what prompted master of ceremonies Colin Hacklander to pursue Eagles #34 as a venue for experimental music, but I’m glad he did it. The only disappointment was that (except for in the bar, that great equalizer) there seemed to be virtually no overlap between the regulars and the new music listeners.
Music composition remains an essentially oxymoronic art form—it is inherently both collaborative and soloistic. Without an individual vision our music remains uninspiring, but without the assistance of others our music remains inanimate.
I’m encouraged to see that despite the economic struggles of the last few years, choirs are still managing to transport themselves to festivals and performance opportunities all over the world.
Unlike other kinds of narratives that unfold in time (e.g. novels, plays, films, or television series), instrumental music ultimately has no story line, per se. Therefore it would never be possible to “spoil” a piece of music.
Imagine you’re at a new music concert. The artist or ensemble performing is really great, but they open with a few pieces that don’t speak to you. Everything seems grey. You drift into a dull torpor, hardly paying attention. But then, suddenly…
All of Corey Dargel’s output could potentially appeal to an extremely broad audience, even his most outré experiments in empathy. At the same time, his seemingly simple early songs are filled with embedded complexities and reward with focused listening time and again. Like many other difficult to categorize music creators of his generation, Dargel consistently defies classification.
To hear Nick Mazzarella play the alto saxophone is to hear a well-honed connection between his creative impulse and the horn that becomes an extension of his musical identity. It is a creative instinct steeped in jazz history and brimming over with a passion for free improvisation.
Certainly the composers represented in the San Francisco Symphony program were Americans, but is their music? America, as it is understood as a modern geopolitical entity, is ethnically diverse and the music heard in orchestral halls is a mere fraction of what is heard and played here.
I’ve been asked to help add two or three 21st century works (scores and recordings) to an anthology that would be “representative of recent developments” and “work well in the classroom.” The second part shouldn’t be too difficult. The first part, on the other hand…
About five months ago a new family member came to live with us—a stray cat that we have since named Longfellow. As it turns out, my efforts to care for him are also helping me keep my composing schedule on track.
With the return of AMC’s critically-acclaimed television drama Mad Men upon us, it might be timely to explore one of the ideas that the show has grappled with since its very first episode: the link between creativity and dishonesty, or (put another way) the thin line between the gifted storyteller and manipulative liar.
This year’s event (March 1–3) included a characteristically diverse group of nine composers, including 75-year-old Harold Budd and 31-year-old Tyshawn Sorey; Berkeley-based Ken Ueno and Lotta Wennäkoski from Finland; and glissando virtuoso Gloria Coates and laptop improviser Ikue Mori.
There is, in other words, no excuse to be careless with concerts—no excuse for unthoughtful programming, no excuse for allowing people to be noisy outside, no excuse for doing anything less than your utmost to make the concert experience competitive with anything else someone might be filling one’s night with.
