Da Una Crepa, by my friend, the Italian composer Marta Gentilucci, is an incredibly moving, richly textured piece for soprano, vocal ensemble, clarinet, cello, percussion and live electronics.
Be sure to check out her other work!
Alaska and the Music of JLA
Off the coast of Alaska
A few weeks ago, I was lucky to visit Alaska with my family. For me, the state conjures images of from monumental landscapes (pictured above), rugged residents, and majestic totem poles. But Alaska also means the composer John Luther Adams, whom I was extremely privileged to work with last year. Take a listen to Dark Waves (2007), one of his more extraordinary pieces:
JLA and his music are bound more tightly to the environment than that of any other composer I know. He spent decades as an environmental activist in Alaska, and his ecological awareness shines through his work. Of his Pulitzer Prize-winning piece Become Ocean (2013), he writes “Life on this earth first emerged from the sea. As the polar ice melts and sea level rises, we humans find ourselves facing the prospect that once again we may quite literally become ocean.”
A full performance of that piece, which Alex Ross says “may be the loveliest apocalypse in musical history”, can be found here as part of the Seattle Symphony's performance during Spring for Music.
Kontra-Funkt
Take a listen to Wynton Kelly Stone Guess' thesis, the brilliant Kontra-Funkt:
"The central idea behind Kontra-Funkt is a melting pot of different styles of music and trying to find a common ground between them. Just as bands like Funkadelic groove, so does the music of Pierre Boulez. The opening features a duet between the viola and cello, which is based on the first verse of Nas' "NY State of Mind" from his debut album Illmatic. From there, each instrument in the ensemble enters at very specific points as everything grows from this opening Nas. The piece also features quotes from Kool and the Gang, Funkadelic, Graham Central Station, A$AP Ferg, and Kendrick Lamar.
Flute - Leia Slosberg
Clarinets - Stephanie Clark
Saxophones - Connor McLarrin
Trumpet - Kevin Natoli
Trombone - Cameron Perry
Electric Bass - Daniel McDowell
Piano/Electric Keyboard - Matthew Lowy
Percussion - Una Cheng, Ayami Okamura, Saki Kurata
Harp - Anna Ellsworth
Violin - Lara Ciaccio
Viola - Eric Hollander
Cello - Nathaniel Taylor
Conductor - Jonathon Heyward"
5 myths about contemporary classical music
Photograph: Tristram Kenton for the Guardian
1. "It all sounds like a squeaky gate."
First, not all contemporary classical music sounds like that. Arvo Pärt, John Tavener, and John Luther Adams all have magnificent music that revels in rich harmonies and, yes, even melodies at times. And the "nasty squeaky gate music" of Lachenmann, Cage, or Xenakis "can actually be amazing to experience if you're not afraid of it". They can open up your mind to the sounds around you.
2. "It's inaccessible."
"Without the "classical" avant garde, pop music just could not and would not be the same." The Beatles? They drew inspiration from Stockhausen. Loops and phases? Wouldn't be around if it weren't for Steve Reich, Phillip Glass, and the other minimalists. Sampling?
Read moreHappy Travels in the news
Happy Travels by Jack has been making the news!
Five-Year Old Boy Designs App (Buzzfeed)
Five-Year-Old Game Designer Releases Happy Travels™ App (PRWeb)
If you haven't yet, head to the App Store, Google Play, or Amazon and get the free app!
Instruments, from the inside
Congratulations Thomas!
A huge congratulations to my friend and fellow composer Thomas Feng on being named a finalist for the 2014 ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composer Award for his String Quartet (2013). Listen to more of his music at soundcloud.com/thomasfengmusic.
Happy birthday Britten!
Today, the inimitable Benjamin Britten turns 100! If you're unfamiliar with his music, I highly recommend you listen to some, as Britten was one of the most original and refreshing voices of the middle 20th century. Click this link for an introduction to his music. And to cap this post off, here's the excellent 3rd movement from his String Quartet No.3, Op. 94:
`Andrés
Benjamin Zander on classical music
A great TED talk by Benjamin Zander, conductor of the Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra:
John Cage on silence
An excerpt from a classic interview of John Cage.