Symbiosis


The works from this concert were the summation of a very interesting semester-long composition seminar led by Dr. Ricardo Lorenz. Each composer was paired with a performer; we worked very interactively to develop the pieces. I learned a great deal about the flute and about shaping a piece for a specific performer. This was one of the best concerts I’ve been involved with recently, and wanted to share it with you.

[wpaudio url=”http://juxtacomposed.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/01_Soundpainting.mp3″ text=”1. Student Collective – Soundpainting” dl=”0″]

All the performers and composers participated in Soundpainting, a live composition technique developed by Walter Thompson. Directed by Tim Patterson, Joelle Willems & Larkin Sanders.

[wpaudio url=”http://juxtacomposed.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/02_DuoClarinetDoubleBass.mp3″ text=”2. Duo for Clarinet and Double Bass” dl=”0″]

by Tim Patterson with Larkin Sanders, clarinet (Patterson on double bass)

[wpaudio url=”http://juxtacomposed.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/03_Particulates.mp3″ text=”3. Particulates” dl=”0″]

by Phillip Sink with Jennifer Tinberg, clarinet

[wpaudio url=”http://juxtacomposed.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/04_AstorsNod.mp3″ text=”4. Astor’s Nod” dl=”0″]

by Thomas Childs with Alysa Treber, flute

[wpaudio url=”http://juxtacomposed.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/05_CircuitBend.mp3″ text=”5. Circuit Bend” dl=”0″]

by Nate Bliton with David Daniels, oboe (Bliton on viola)

[wpaudio url=”http://juxtacomposed.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/06_IvoryDesert.mp3″ text=”6. Ivory Desert” dl=”0″]

by Caleb Hugo with Joelle Willems, flute

7. Discurso (texts by Gabriel Garcia Marquez)

by Victor Marquez-Barrios with Ty Forquer, percussion. Assisted by Carlos Botero, speaker.

A program note from Dr. Lorenz:

All the works in this program resulted from collaborations between composers and performers. These collaborations were the topic of a semester-long seminar devoted to exploring and encouraging symbiotic relationships in the realm of music creation. The method was simple: composer/performer teams engaged in a series of collaborative exercises leading up to the creation of the works you hear tonight. All of these, in one way or another, bear the impact of these exercises. While all the works were composed (in the conventional sense of the word) by the composers, they were all greatly shaped by the instrumental expertise of the performers and, more importantly, by their personalities and unique musical backgrounds. As the instructor of this seminar, I had the fortune of witnessing many extraordinary instances in which personalitites merged and boundaries between the roles of composers and performers disappeared. The question is whether or not one can hear these transgressions materialized in the music. I definitively think one can hear them. Please enjoy these symbiotic works.

-Ricardo Lorenz