BARGEMUSIC Here and Now Series — Ned Rorem at 95
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NED ROREM
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Four Colors for Clarinet and Piano
Full of Life Now for Clarinet and Piano Toccata for Piano Pas de Trois for Clarinet, Violin and Piano (World Premiere) |
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Notes for Ned for Clarinet and Piano |
Daron Hagen Early, Later (Notes For Ned)
Jennifer Higdon A Gentle Notion (90 Notes for Ned) Troy Peters Gymnopedie & Toccata (Notes for Ned) (World Premiere) |
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Tickets:
$40 ($35 Senior, $20 Student) Tickets/Reservations: www.brownpapertickets.com/event/3584017 Info and Directions GPS address is 1 Water Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201 https://www.bargemusic.org/info-directions/ |
A concert celebrating the 95th birthday of composer Ned Rorem. The concert features the world premiere of the clarinet, violin and piano version of “Pas de Trois” and a performance of “Four Colors”, composed for Thomas Piercy, a long-time champion of Rorem’s music. The concert also features three pieces composed for Thomas Piercy as Rorem birthday celebration music by former students of Rorem: Daron Hagen, Jennifer Higdon, and Troy Peters.
Ned Rorem
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"I conceive all music…vocally. Whatever my music is written for—tuba, tambourine, tubular bells—it is always the singer within me crying to get out." — Ned Rorem
Words and music are inextricably linked for Ned Rorem. Time magazine has called him "the world's best composer of art songs," yet his musical and literary ventures extend far beyond this specialized field. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize and a Grammy, Rorem has composed three symphonies, four piano concertos, and an array of other orchestral works; music for numerous combinations of chamber forces; ten operas; choral works of every description; ballets and other music for the theater; and literally hundreds of songs and cycles. He is the author of sixteen books, including five volumes of diaries and collections of lectures and criticism. At age seventeen, Rorem entered the Music School of Northwestern University, and two years later receiving a scholarship to the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia. He studied composition under Bernard Wagenaar at Juilliard, where he earned both his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. His suite Air Music won the 1976 Pulitzer Prize in music. The Atlanta Symphony recording of the String Symphony, Sunday Morning, and Eagles received a Grammy Award for Outstanding Orchestral Recording in 1989. In 1998 he was chosen Composer of the Year by Musical America. Ned Rorem is published by Boosey & Hawkes. Reprinted by kind permission of Boosey & Hawkes. |
The Music
"Four Colors"
for clarinet and piano in four movements
Red
White
Blue
Orange
Four Colors was composed for clarinetist Thomas Piercy, and was premiered in 2003 at Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall in celebration of Mr. Rorem's 80th birthday. Four Colors was composed in reaction to the United States invading Iraq in 2003. The movement names try to capture the spirit of the colors of the flag of the United States (Red, White, and Blue), and the horrific image of bombings (Orange).
"Full of Life"
for clarinet and piano
"Full of Life" was originally composed in 1989 as a song for soprano and piano. In assembling a set of songs for clarinet and piano, clarinetist Thomas Piercy asked Mr. Rorem if he had any songs whose vocal line he thought particularly suitable for the clarinet. Mr. Rorem suggested any number of his songs would be appropriate. Playing through more than fifty of Rorem's suggested songs, they settled on four that were then arranged for clarinet and piano and recorded on the Albany Records "Gotham Ensemble Plays Ned Rorem" CD. After listening to a rehearsal in preparation for the recording, Mr. Rorem decided to title the set "Four Poems without Words." "Full of Life" is one of the "Four Poems Without Words."
"Toccata"
from "Sonata No. 1" for solo piano
"Toccata" is the third movement from Mr. Rorem's Sonata No. 1 for solo piano composed in 1948. He gives the movement the subtitle "Clear, Fast, and Hard."
"Pas de Trois"
a trio in 6 movements for clarinet, violin, and piano
The Palace at Four A.M.
Mechanical
Duet for Three Voices
Pas de Trois
Three Sisters
The Nursery at Four P.M.
Pas de Trois was originally composed for oboe, violin, and piano and was premiered in 2002. Soon after the premiere, Mr. Rorem and clarinetist Thomas Piercy started working on a version for clarinet, violin, and piano. Mr. Rorem explains the names of the six movements may lead the listener to think of programmatic ideas but cautioned that the titles were affixed after the fact. Rorem said he believes "non-vocal music really has no intellectual meaning." The trio begins with a strong sense of movement in the piano part, contrasting with a nearly icy stillness in the music from clarinet and violin. The second movement features a playful four-note motif. The movement bearing the title "Pas de Trois" gives an interesting syncopation to the piano part and includes some difficult unison passages for the three musicians. The fifth movement features violin and clarinet lines as if they could be vocal songs. The trio ends with a playful tumble of musical leaps and runs and extroverted trills through the last movement.
"NOTES FOR NED"
for clarinet and piano
Daron Hagen Early, Later (Notes For Ned)
Jennifer Higdon A Gentle Notion (Notes for Ned)
Troy Peters Gymnopedie & Toccata (Notes for Ned)
"Notes for Ned" is a collection of pieces composed for clarinetist Thomas Piercy by former students of Ned Rorem as birthday gifts or musical celebrations for Rorem's birthday.
The Performers
Clarinetist Thomas Piercy is a critically acclaimed musician with orchestral, concerto, recital and chamber music appearances throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia. He has been described by The New York Times as “Brilliant…playing with refinement and flair…evoking a panache in the contemporary works.” A versatile artist defying categorization – performing on the Emmy Award-winning Juno Baby CDs and DVDs; performing with pianist Earl Wild and Frederica von Stade; working with Leonard Bernstein; appearing in a KRS-ONE music video; playing hichiriki and other traditional Japanese instruments in Japan; recording with members of Maroon 5; performing on Broadway and Off-Broadway, television, radio, and commercial recordings. A frequent performer of new works, he has premiered over 200 works composed for him, including Ned Rorem’s only work for clarinet and piano, “Four Colors.” He studied at The Juilliard School and Mannes School of Music; clarinet studies with Gervase De Peyer, Dr. Stephen Johnston, Leon Russianoff, and Kalmen Opperman. Recordings for such labels as Albany, Capstone, DGI, Changing Tones, NJST, and Tonada Records. More information at: www.thomaspiercy.com
Violinist Eiko Kano has a thriving international career as a soloist as well as a chamber musician collaborating with distinguished artists such as principal oboist of the Berlin Philharmonic Albrecht Meyer, Eugene Drucker of the Emerson Quartet and Ani Kavafian while working closely with living composers premiering new works. She is prizewinner of multiple international competitions such as the 4th International Competition of Tokyo among others. As a result of winning the prestigious Forval Scholarship, Eiko was granted the Stradivarius “Reinville violin for 2 years. She currently serves as an assistant concertmaster in Grammy Award-winning Albany Symphony Orchestra as well as regularly plays in the New York Philharmonic. She is on the artistic advisory board as well as a principal 1 st violin player in the newly founded Pegasus: The Orchestra based in New York. Eiko received BM and MM from Manhattan School of Music and is a long-time resident of New York. Her CD “A Manhattan Story ~Winter~” has been released in the summer of 2017 and it will be featured in audio program on all international JAL flights in November/December in 2018. english.eikonyc.com
Composer/pianist Chen Yihan has been described as "emotional", "powerful", "fresh", "with luminous color"; his music rooted culturally both in his East Asian heritage and the tradition of western Classical music. As a composer, Chen Yihan’s music has been performed across America, Europe, and Asia. His music has been performed by the Juilliard Orchestra in Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center, and the Symphony Orchestra of the National Opera House at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing, China. His compositions have received numerous honors and he has received commissions from the Changzhou Longcheng Symphony Orchestra, China Remixed, conductor Miguel Diniz, violinist Max Tan, Yujie He, clarinetist Thomas Piercy, soprano Chen Nai-Chia, and mezzo-soprano Yu Yulin. Described as “colorful” and “incisive” by the Oregon Artswatch, Mr. Chen made his debut as an orchestra soloist performing with the New World Youth Symphony Orchestra and made his debut at Carnegie Hall at the age of 16. Chen Yihan is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in music composition at Princeton University and holds a master’s degree in music composition from the Juilliard School and bachelor’s degrees in music composition and piano performance from Indiana University Jacobs. His principle teachers include Samuel Adler, Claude Baker, Don Freund, P. Q. Phan, Christopher Rouse, Sven-David Sandström, and Aaron Travers, and the world-renowned Brazilian pianist Arnaldo Cohen, and Dr. Karen Taylor, the director of Indiana University Piano Academy. www.yihanmusic.com
Clarinetist Thomas Piercy is a critically acclaimed musician with orchestral, concerto, recital and chamber music appearances throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia. He has been described by The New York Times as “Brilliant…playing with refinement and flair…evoking a panache in the contemporary works.” A versatile artist defying categorization – performing on the Emmy Award-winning Juno Baby CDs and DVDs; performing with pianist Earl Wild and Frederica von Stade; working with Leonard Bernstein; appearing in a KRS-ONE music video; playing hichiriki and other traditional Japanese instruments in Japan; recording with members of Maroon 5; performing on Broadway and Off-Broadway, television, radio, and commercial recordings. A frequent performer of new works, he has premiered over 200 works composed for him, including Ned Rorem’s only work for clarinet and piano, “Four Colors.” He studied at The Juilliard School and Mannes School of Music; clarinet studies with Gervase De Peyer, Dr. Stephen Johnston, Leon Russianoff, and Kalmen Opperman. Recordings for such labels as Albany, Capstone, DGI, Changing Tones, NJST, and Tonada Records. More information at: www.thomaspiercy.com
Violinist Eiko Kano has a thriving international career as a soloist as well as a chamber musician collaborating with distinguished artists such as principal oboist of the Berlin Philharmonic Albrecht Meyer, Eugene Drucker of the Emerson Quartet and Ani Kavafian while working closely with living composers premiering new works. She is prizewinner of multiple international competitions such as the 4th International Competition of Tokyo among others. As a result of winning the prestigious Forval Scholarship, Eiko was granted the Stradivarius “Reinville violin for 2 years. She currently serves as an assistant concertmaster in Grammy Award-winning Albany Symphony Orchestra as well as regularly plays in the New York Philharmonic. She is on the artistic advisory board as well as a principal 1 st violin player in the newly founded Pegasus: The Orchestra based in New York. Eiko received BM and MM from Manhattan School of Music and is a long-time resident of New York. Her CD “A Manhattan Story ~Winter~” has been released in the summer of 2017 and it will be featured in audio program on all international JAL flights in November/December in 2018. english.eikonyc.com
Composer/pianist Chen Yihan has been described as "emotional", "powerful", "fresh", "with luminous color"; his music rooted culturally both in his East Asian heritage and the tradition of western Classical music. As a composer, Chen Yihan’s music has been performed across America, Europe, and Asia. His music has been performed by the Juilliard Orchestra in Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center, and the Symphony Orchestra of the National Opera House at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing, China. His compositions have received numerous honors and he has received commissions from the Changzhou Longcheng Symphony Orchestra, China Remixed, conductor Miguel Diniz, violinist Max Tan, Yujie He, clarinetist Thomas Piercy, soprano Chen Nai-Chia, and mezzo-soprano Yu Yulin. Described as “colorful” and “incisive” by the Oregon Artswatch, Mr. Chen made his debut as an orchestra soloist performing with the New World Youth Symphony Orchestra and made his debut at Carnegie Hall at the age of 16. Chen Yihan is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in music composition at Princeton University and holds a master’s degree in music composition from the Juilliard School and bachelor’s degrees in music composition and piano performance from Indiana University Jacobs. His principle teachers include Samuel Adler, Claude Baker, Don Freund, P. Q. Phan, Christopher Rouse, Sven-David Sandström, and Aaron Travers, and the world-renowned Brazilian pianist Arnaldo Cohen, and Dr. Karen Taylor, the director of Indiana University Piano Academy. www.yihanmusic.com