<541> Volume 2 Music from Stanford

innova 658

1. Alexander Sigman: il y va d'un certain pas (2004-2005)

for flute, bass clarinet, percussion, piano, violin, and violoncello

2. Christopher Trebue Moore: Parallax (2003-2004)

for chamber ensemble

3. Yaron Sokolov: Le Barroquet (2003-2004)

for percussion solo

4. Davi∂ Brynjar Franzson: Hvi∂a (2004)

for chamber orchestra

5. José Rio-Pareja: Danza con saliva y sudor (2004)

for chamber ensemble

6. Hans Thomalla: wild.thing (2003)

for piano and two percussion

<541> is a concert series dedicated to performances of challenging music by students and faculty at Stanford University. Composers in the Stanford community produce pieces that reflect a broad range of aesthetic issues, including fragmentation of structure, complex layering of musical time, narrative vs. non-narrative discourses, and the relationship of image and sound. The <541> CD project aims at being an ongoing account of this multiplicity of musical concerns, with each CD being made up largely of performances recorded in <541> concerts.

         We would like to thank many people who have been involved with the realization of these concerts and of this recording, above all the administration of Stanford University for its generous financial underwriting of the project. Many individual members of the Music Department have unstintingly given of their advice and support, including Mario Champagne, Stephen Hinton, Jonathan Berger, Mark Applebaum, and Christopher Jones. These concerts benefited hugely from the untiring technical and public relations support provided by Mark Dalrymple and Beth Youngdoff. Our special thanks are also due to Philip Blackburn and Innova Recordings for making this series possible.

Professor Brian Ferneyhough

Department of Music

Braun Music Center

Stanford University

1.

Alexander Sigman: il y va d'un certain pas (2004-2005)

for flute, bass clarinet, percussion, piano, violin, and violoncello

ENSEMBLE SUR PLUS

Martina Roth, bass flute

Erich Wagner, bass clarinet

Stefan Haeussler, violin

Beverly Ellis, cello

Olaf Tzschoppe, percussion

Sven Thomas Kiebler, piano

James Avery, conductor

Is it possible to construct a musical “"ruin”" without recourse to either Romantic categories or historical residue? Furthermore, what aspects of elements and internal relations proper to an abiding state of "decayed original material" could be examined from contrasting perspectives?...

...Across the three primary sections of the piece, a tectonic “"backbone”" layer and a more entropic "fleshy" layer unfold concurrently. The former (located in the piano, cello, and percussion) consists of material derived from three recent, related compositions, transformed via the application of a series of filters. Within each section, the skeletal material appearing within each instrument is projected cyclically on contrasting levels of scale. Due to the filtration/"re-reading" and expansion/compression processes, there exists a tendency towards the degradation of any initial sense of identity. The bass flute, bass clarinet and violin material initially bears a contingent relation to the backbone (both in terms of internal content and degree of continuity), but subsequently extricates itself, permitting greater differentiation and autonomy. However, the feeble modes of production of the instruments and the effects of temporal compression result in material erosion...

...il y va d'un certain pas = "it involves a certain step," "it involves a certain not," "he/it goes a certain step," "he/it goes a certain not". While the semantic content of the various possible translations of this statement (extracted from Derrida's Aporias) bear significance with respect to the projection of the skeletal material on different levels of scale (pas) and the negation of identity (pas), the acts of "re-reading" necessary to construct such contrasting interpretations of the phrase are associated with the unfolding cyclic procedures of the narrative.

Alexander Sigman (b.1980) is currently a secondthird-year doctoral student in Music Composition at Stanford University, studying with Brian Ferneyhough. Prior to Stanford, Sigman received a BM in Music Composition and a BA in Cognitive Sciences from Rice University. Additionally, he has participated in several music programs and festivals, such as Centre Acanthes (2002, 2003, studying with Klaus Huber and Brian Ferneyhough, and working with the Arditti Quartet), the Fontainebleau Conservatoire Américain (2000, 2001, studying with Marco Stroppa and André Bon), the Ircam Academie d’Été (2001), and the Darmstadt Ferienkurse (2004). Supplementary activities have included directing a contemporary music radio program, performance (piano and conducting), and music cognition research.

2.

Christopher Trebue Moore: Parallax (2003-2004)

for chamber ensemble

Gail Edwards, piccolo

Stacy Brubaker, flute

Kyle Bruckmann, oboe

Steve Sanchez, clarinet

Matt Ingalls, bass clarinet

Jarratt Rossini, bassoon

Florian Conzetti, percussion

Terry Longshore, percussion

Karla Lemon, conductor

Christopher Trebue Moore began his study of composition in 1997. In June 2003, he earned a Master's degree in composition from the University of Oregon, where he composed numerous chamber, orchestral, and electronic works. Currently he is working towards a D.M.A. in composition at Stanford University where he is a student of Brian Ferneyhough, Mark Applebaum, and Chris Chafe. His music has been performed across the U.S.A. and in Europe by ensembles including EARPLAY, Third Angle, Octandre, the Left Coast Chamber Ensemble, Red fish Blue fish, and Insomnio.

3.

Yaron Sokolov: Le Barroquet (2003-2004)

for percussion solo

Morris Palter, percussion

A poem by Jacob Van Maelant tells us how a parrot foretold that Charlemagne would become Emperor. Surprisingly, there were/are parrots who have increased their level of creativity, while others conservatively retain their old repetitive craft.

In ‘Le Barroquet’ a parrot goes through a process that provides him with artistic skills. He is being transformed to carry the role of prophecy. After a short Ouverture à la Française, that should be played at a very slow tempo, the parrot is challenged with rhythmic figures that he repeats and interprets freely. Then, after a long Intermedio, the parrot is left alone to compose his own original material. By concluding the piece with an appropriate coda, the parrot is finally able to reunite with his ancestors by visualizing the coronation of Charlemagne. The title of the piece was constructed by combining the term Baroque with Perroquet, because the parrot’s unique style remarkably resembles that which is known to us as Baroque music.

Although accompanied by a plot, ‘Le Barroquet’ is definitely not a narrative piece. Narrative is called upon only to invoke the presence of allegory. Rather, the piece implies a way in which different sections of music may or may not carry allegorical meaning. It is about the lack of necessity of an allegorical context as much as it is about the longing for one that was abandoned. A parrot is capable of being a parrot whether or not he is aware of his human allegorical nature. The same is true with instrumental music: allegory is optional. But when allegory is actively considered, a simple encounter with a real parrot can be much more thrilling. It automatically transforms the parrot to carry the role of prophecy. Then, the encounter becomes a performative experience.

Yaron Sokolov graduated from the Jerusalem Rubin Academy of Music and Dance with a BMus in composition, where he studied composition with professors Mark Kopytman and Yinam Leef. Currently he is pursuing a DMA in composition at Stanford University under the instruction of Professors Brian Ferneyhough and Mark Applebaum.

4.

Davi∂ Brynjar Franzson: Hvi∂a (2004)

for chamber orchestra

INAUTHENTICA

Andrea Lieberherr, flute

Lara Wickes, oboe

Brian Walsh, clarinet/bass clarinet

Kirsten Barrow, horn

Kevin McGlaughlin, trumpet

Ben McIntosh trombone

Liam Viney, piano

Elyssa Shalla, percussion

Justin Dehart, percussion

Eric km Clark, violin

Natalie Brejcha, viola

Geoff Gartner, violoncello

Ivan Johnson, contrabass

Mark Menzies, conductor

Hvi∂a - a single instance of a gust of wind - is the second chamber piece in a cycle based on a novella by the Icelandic author Sjon. Set in 19th century Iceland, the book deals with issues topics such as conformity to a seemingly unified society, nature as an agent, and narrative issues such narrative issues as the flow and density of information. In large parts of the book almost no new information is presented, and the negative space left behind is embroidered and covered by a highly embellished surface.

Hvi∂a inherits a prime object from the cycle's opening piece and places it in an utopian society where social interactions suddenly start affecting the object - twisting it, turning it, and slowly eroding its identity while forcing it to conform increasingly to the masses of society. Through the onslaught of acts of conformation, the object is led into a void where surface features are no longer discernible. In more poetic terms, the object is eroded by the gusts of a storm where small fragments are torn off and carried away until none of its identity can be seen, as if swept over by a thin layer of snow.

David Brynjar Franzson was born in Akureyri in 1978. He graduated in Biology and Music from Menntaskolinn a Akureyri in 1998 and in composition and theory from the Reykjavik College of Music in 2001. He holds a Masters Degree in composition and is currently pursuing a doctorate from Stanford University under the guidance of Brian Ferneyhough and Mark Applebaum. He recently finished exchange studies at Columbia University with Tristan Murail. David's music has been performed in Europe, the USA, and Asia by ensembles including Caput, Oslo Sinfonietta, asamisimasa, and the Ensemble Intercontemporain.

5.

José Rio-Pareja: Danza con saliva y sudor (2004)

for chamber ensemble

INAUTHENTICA

Lara Wickes, oboe

Brian Walsh, bass clarinet

Kirsten Barrow, horn

Kevin McGlaughlin, trumpet

Ben McIntosh trombone

Elyssa Shalla, percussion

Justin Dehart, percussion

Natalie Brejcha, viola

Geoff Gartner, violoncello

Ivan Johnson, contrabass

Mark Menzies, conductor

Danza con saliva y sudor (Dance with Ssweat and Ssaliva) is one of the scenes of my chamber opera Como agua sin Luz (As Wwater without Llight). Being an instrumental episode of passionate dance between the two main characters of the opera, the structure of this piece is based in the analysis of the different parameters of flamenco dance-steps. Three rhythmic phrases from flamenco footwork underlie during the whole piece, although beginning with a tempo sixteen times slower than the original, to evolveand evolving in a desperate accelerando. The differences between the three kinds of dance steps (heel, sole, and whole foot) are re-composed by the entire ensemble, and the quasi-vocal sounds from the wind instruments are a supernatural manifestation of the sounds of the two mute dancer-singers in on the stage.

José Rio-Pareja was born in Barcelona, Spain, in 1973. Beginning his piano studies at a very young age, José obtained a diploma in piano and the degrees of “Professor Superior” of Orchestral Conducting, Choral Conducting, and Composition in the Conservatori Superior Municipal de Música de Barcelona with professors Albert Argudo, Carles Comalada, and Xavier Boliart. At the completion of his studies at this conservatory, he was awarded Highest Honors in Composition. Currently, he is pursuing a DMA in composition at Stanford University, studying with Brian Ferneyhough.

He has received numerous awards such as the First Prize from the 15^thth Young Composer Competition, 1995 Frederic Mompou International Award, the XIV International Festival of Youth Orchestras 2000 Award, the First Prize in the Composition Competition of the SGAE (General Association of Authors and Editors from Spain) 2000, the First Prize in the XXI International Composition Competition Cristobal Halffter 2001, the Merit Diploma 2002 of the Accademia Chigiana in Siena (Italy), and the 2004 Concours Henry Dutilleux Prize.

His music has been played by the Ensemble Intercontemporain conducted by Peter Rundel, Ensemble Contrechamps conducted by Jurjen Hempel, pianist Georges Pludermacher and by prestigious Spanish musical groups including, among others, the Grupo Enigma, the Chamber Orchestra of the Auditorium of Zaragoza, the Plural Ensemble, 2111 Gòtic Brass, and Grupo Finale. He has also received several grants such as the scholarships of the Courses Manuel de Falla, the IAE grant, the Accademia Chigiana, Centre Acanthes, Stanford University, and la Caixa fellowship—the most prestigious grant for international graduate studies in Spain. Selected by the National Spanish Radio, his work Zarzas (for viola and ensemble) participated in the International Rostrum of Composers organized by UNESCO 2001 in Paris.

Selected by the National Spanish Radio, his work Zarzas (for viola and ensemble) participated in the International Rostrum of Composers organized by UNESCO 2001 in Paris.

6.

Hans Thomalla: wild.thing (2003)

for piano and two percussion

ENSEMBLE ASCOLTA

Florian Hölscher, piano

Pascal Pons, percussion

Boris Müller, percussion

Gabriele Starke, sound engineer

Günther Zapletal, sound engineer

SWR 2004

wild thing, you make my heart sing

Jimy Hendrix, Monterey 1967

A cadential figure in Chopin’s Nocturne Op. 37 #1, my first experience of “Piano Music” in early childhood, has been almost synonymous with the instrument ever since. It is a stereotype of introspection. The drumset in the final measures of the live recording of Jimmy Hendrix’s “Wwild Tthing” live recording—: a cymbal crash in unison with a bass-drum accent creates eruption and focus at the same time; a snare-drum figure is on the edge of rhythm and rollbetween a rhythm and a drum roll. wild.thing is COUNTERPOINT – —simultaneity of different musical Gestalts.

These Gestalts are changing. They influence, violate, annihilate one another. And they are FILTEREDT, changed from “outside.”. They are amplified, distorted, transposed and cut, without regard to their internal structure, – until they have become only impulses without identity, without context, without meaning.

Free? Maybe SET FREE to become figures, which are not predetermined by the contexts from which they derive, which set their own contexts, step by step, every moment in a different way, developed only out of the sound itself, out of the now liberated, “wild” material.

This recording was provided courtesy of the Südwestrundfunk, 2004.

Hans Thomalla was born 1975 in Bonn, Germany. From 1994 to 1999 he studied composition at the Hochschule für Musik in Frankfurt. In 1999 he joined the Dramaturgy of the Stuttgart Opera, where he worked on various opera-productions and developed a new-music concert series “Dialoge.”. His music has been performed by major German ensembles and orchestras, such as the SWR-Radiosinfonieorchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg, SR-Sinfonieorchester, Ensemble Modern, and Ensemble Recherche. He received various awards and fellowships and was a fellow of the Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes as well as the DAAD. In 2004 he was awarded the Kranichsteiner Musikpreis, in 2005 the Christoph Delz Prize. A CD of his works is forthcoming on the Wergo label. Hans Thomalla is currently pursuing a DMA-Program in composition at Stanford University.

Credits

<541> series co-producers: Mark Applebaum, Brian Ferneyhough, & Christopher Jones.

Innova is supported by an endowment from the McKnight Foundation

Philip Blackburn: innova Director, design

Chris Campbell: Operations Manager