Cassandra's Dream Song (1971) - Brian Ferneyhough (b. 1943)
Performed at the 2016 Cicada Consort Marathon Concert
Brian Ferneyhough is an English composer living in California. He is noted as a dominant figure in the “New Complexity” movement and thus his music is characterized by extremely complex notation and extensive use of irregular groupings and techniques. Ferneyhough currently teaches at Stanford University. “This work owes its conception to certain considerations arising out of the problems and possibilities inherent in the notation – realization relationship. The choice of notation in this instance was principally dictated by a desire to define the quality of the final sound by relating it consciously to the degree of complexity present in the score. The piece as it stands is, therefore, not intended to be the plan of an “ideal” performance. The notation does not represent the result required: it is the attempt to realize the written specifications in practice which is designed to produce the desired (but unnotatable) sound-quality A beautiful, cultivated performance is not to be aimed at: some of the combinations of actions specified are in any case either not literally realizable (certain dynamic groupings) or else lead to complex, partly unpredictable results. Nevertheless, a valid realization will only result from a rigorous attempt to reproduce as many of the textural details as possible: such divergences and “impurities” as then follow from the natural limitations of the instrument itself may be taken to be the intentions of the composer. No attempt should be made to conceal the difficulty of the music by resorting to compromises and inexactitudes designed to achieve a superficially more “polished” result. On the contrary, the audible (and visual) degree of difficulty is to be drawn as an integral structural element into the fabric of the composition itself.” -- Brian Ferneyhough |
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Voice - Toru Takamitsu
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Performance at the 2015 "Frequencies" Concert of the ECU NewMusic Initiative.
Toru Takemitsu, a Japanese composer, writer on aesthetics, and music theory. Takemitsu was a master of manipulation in orchestral timbre and wrote several hundred pieces of music that explored the boundaries of sound. He was also a founding member of Jikken Kobo, a group of avant-garde artists whose collaborative work is often regarded among the most influential of the 20th century. Voice was composed in Paris in 1971 and dedicated to Aurèle Nicolet, a Swiss flutist said to be one of the best players of the late 20th century. The spoken text, using French and English in this work is: “Qui va la? Qui que tu sois, parle, transparence! Who goes there? Speak, transparence, whoever you are!” - from Shuzo Takiguchi // Handmade Proverbs // 1970 “Voice is among the first instances of composed Western art music for the flute that feature use of the instrumentalist’s voice, a technique known as “vocalization.” For To-ru Takemitsu, this technique is the result of his revolutionary fusion of Eastern and Western musical cultures. In Voice he draws upon the ancient Japanese art of Noh Theatre as well as the sounds and techniques of the shakuhachi, inventing new symbols of notation for the silver Boehm flute that nevertheless leave much room for interpretation. Shouts and whispers, multiphonics, air and percussive sounds meld the flautist into something of a one-man theatre of the absurd, performing at once as voice, flute, and drum – the traditional instrumental make-up of the Noh onstage ensemble. Qui va la? These opening words echo the first line of Hamlet, with similarly intense psychological repercussions. The flautist demands a disembodied presence (or perhaps the audience) reveal themselves and make known their identity. The “voice” of the title seems to refer both to the exposed voice of the performer and to this invisible apparition, silent as it is.” -- Hannah Reardon-Smith |
Grace mov. V - Tim Sutton
Performed at the 2014 New Music Initiative Frequencies Concert
Tim Sutton is a living composer based in UK and has written numerous works for a wide variety of ensembles including choir, chamber ensembles, and films. The pieces was written for the London Flute Quartet and was premiered with 4 male dancers in costume. To honor the concept behind the premiere, we wear masks of varying designs. |
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