Folk Songs, by Luciano Berio, for mezzo-soprano and seven instruments Circles, by Luciano Berio, for female voice, harp, and two percussion players Objects, by Victor Khandamian, for nay, percussion, and cello
Jhula Jhule, by Reena Esmail, for violin and piano The Blue Room, by Reena Esmail, for violin and orchestra Piano Quintet, by Reena Esmail Sinfonietta, by Daniel Eichenbaum, for string quartet and wind ensemble Myself and the resistance of wine, by Amir Sadeghi Konjani, for solo harp Hijab Initiation No. 2, by Amir Sadeghi Konjani, … More Cool Stuff I’m Listening To: September 7, 2013
I had been on a bimonthly schedule for Cool Stuff, but this time around I couldn’t help but share earlier. Enjoy! Phantoms, by Natalie Moller, for saxophone quartet Bulgarity, by Annika K. Socolofsky, for saxophone quartet Sax Machine, by Joseph Prestamo, for saxophone quartet Howler Back, by Zack Browning, for saxophone quartet Speed Metal Organum … More Cool Stuff I’m Listening To: August 24, 2013
Fireheart, by Matthew H. Fields, for Pierrot ensemble with percussion Exit, Pursued by a Bear, by Matthew A. Browne, for solo viola
Violin Concerto, by Steven R. Gerber, for violin and orchestra Viola Concerto, by Steven R. Gerber, for viola and orchestra Sarabandoid, by Phillip Martin, for cello and piano String Quartet, by Mario Godoy
Blow It Up, Start Again, by Jonathan Newman, for orchestra (or wind ensemble) Trajectory, by Nicole Chamberlain, for two flutes and cello Auras, by Keith Kusterer, for orchestra Basselek, by Florent Ghys, for guitars Ende, by Louis Andriessen, for two alto recorders played simultaneously
Recently, I’ve been inspired to write a piece for voice and a small chamber ensemble. As I was browsing the tags on this site to review some of the vocal music I’ve come across in the past couple of years, I realized that the number of vocal pieces listed is highly disproportionate to the number … More Searching for a voice. . . and chamber ensemble.
As you can see, I’ve been really into listening to percussion and choir lately. Some of these are repeats, but why not. Concerto for Marimba and Choir, by Gene Koshinski Alloy, by Andy Akiho, for steel pan ensemble Tehillim, by Steve Reich, for voices and ensemble The Desert music, by Steve Reich, for amplified voices … More Cool Stuff I’m Listening To: July 6, 2013
Honeydew, by Mike Majkowski, for solo double bass Costume of Melancholy, by Roil, for double bass, piano, and drums Two Cornish Ladies, by Rachel Nicholas, for chamber ensemble H is for, by Rachel Nicholas, for solo piano Piano Teeth, by Rachel Nicholas, for piano, violin, viola, cello, and double bass
Many of these are from various friends’ recitals this past semester, including those of some fellow composers at Redlands. Although they are not what I’ve listened to most recently, I would like to keep track of these for journaling purposes: Turning Points, by Joan Tower, for clarinet and string quartet Head Talk, by Mark Ford, … More Cool Stuff I’m Listening To: May 5, 2013
too many arguments in line 17, by Ryan Carter, for string quartet Bailes encima del escritorio de nuestra juventúd, by Charles Zoll, for oboe, violin, cello, and piano Impetus, by Chris Brubaker, for violin and piano Riff(raff), by Matthew Mendez, for bass clarinet
the pine mantras, by Anthony Suter, for percussion quartet Tromba lontana, by John Adams, for two trumpets and orchestra Karakurenai, by Andy Akiho, for marimba and steel drum Rothko Chapel, by Morton Feldman, for viola, celesta, percussion, and choir
Most of these are form Q2 of course: Ballade, by Oskar Morawetz, for piano For Heart, Breath and Orchestra, by Richard Reed Parry, for orchestra Different…Rains, by Pavel Karmanov, for flute and piano L’auberge de Loupiac, by Florent Ghys, for voice Still With Me, by Alexander Balanescu, for string quartet Musica Optica, by Gyorgy Geszler, … More Cool Stuff I’m Listening To: January 13, 2013
Octet (Eight Lines), by Steve Reich, for string quartet, two pianos, clarinet/bass clarinet, flute/piccolo Nimbus, by Iancu Dumitrescu, for horn, ensemble, and tape Spectrum, by Iancu Dumitrescu, for string quartet
Our Composition Studio had a listening exam on Friday. I always enjoy studying for them as a way to find new literature. Here is the playlist below: Scherzo Ricercato, by Lukas Foss, for solo piano Toccata for Violin and Player Piano, by Conlon Nancarrow On the Edge of the Infinite, by Christopher Theofanidis, for violin … More Cool Stuff I’m Listening To: October 28, 2012
I’ve been looking for a contemporary piece to put on my junior recital, hence the bundle of viola pieces here. Any suggestions??? I’d prefer a piece about 7-10 minutes long, more or less. Simply Purple, by Joan Tower, for solo viola Purple Rhapsody, by Joan Tower, for viola and orchestra String Quartet, by Derek Bermel, … More Cool Stuff I’m Listening To: September 30, 2012
I’m totally a Lou Harrison addict right now, just sayin’. Prelude, by Lou Harrison, for solo cello Majestic Fanfare, by Lou Harrison, for 3 trumpets, snare drum, and bass drum Concerto No. 1 for Flute and Percussion, by Lou Harrison
I’ve been busy getting ready for school again, but for now, here’s a little treat that a friend shared with me yesterday. Enjoy!
I Was There, by Kayhan Kalhor, for cello, oud, and percussion Kamu-purrui, by Lamberto Coccioli, for alto flute. Alúna, by Lamberto Coccioli, for viola, ensemble, and live electronics Double Bass Sonata, Op.108, by Mieczysław Weinberg, for solo double bass first things first, an album by Nadia Sirota, violist. Featuring composers Nico Muhly, Marcos Balter and … More Cool Stuff I’m Listening To: August 19, 2012
As Desperation Sets In, by Caleb Burhans, for clarinet and piano In Transit, by Beata Moon, for piano Wassermannmusik, by Hans Otte, for harp Entrometido, by Noah Luna, for flute and cello Symphony of Our Father, by Michael Patterson, for orchestra Mondrianism, by Barry M. Lawrence, for solo piano
Here are some of the pieces that I’ve revisited or discovered so far in one way or another during my brainstorming. Several of them were already on my iPod. Syrinx, by Claude Debussy Density 21.5, by Edgar Varèse Zoom Tube, by Ian Clarke Sweet Pea, by Project Vox Balaenae, by George Crumb Federico’s Little Songs … More Cool Stuff I’m Listening To: My Flute Playlist
Savage Altars, by Ingram Marshall, for SATB choir, violin, viola, tape Femina: Part I, by John Zorn, for violin, cello, harp, piano, percussion, and electronics 8 June 1810…to the Birthday of R. Sch., by Valentin Silvestrov, for two celli Federico’s Little Songs for Children,by George Crumb, for soprano, flute/piccolo/alto flute/bass flute, and harp Madrigals, Book I, … More Cool Stuff I’m Listening To: July 22, 2012
Oops! I missed a week. Still trying to get back in the groove of things though–here are a few treats from Q2: Violin Concerto, by Andrzej Panufnik, for violin and string orchestra Shadowlines, by George Benjamin, for piano Les Fees from Four Pieces for String Quartet, by Bruno Mantovani Rising, by Joan Tower, for string … More Cool Stuff I’m Listening To: July 8, 2012
Drones and Piano, by Nico Muhly, for viola and piano Penelope, a song cycle and album by Sarah Kirkland Snider, for mezzo-soprano and orchestra
Preludes and Fugue for 13 solo strings, by Witold Lutosławski MotorCity Triptych, by Michael Daugherty, for orchestra Raise the Roof, by Michael Daugherty, for orchestra Lux aeterna, by George Crumb, for soprano, bass flute, soprano recorder, sitar, and percussion Out of the Window, by Emily Praetorius, for string quartet Distances at Dawn, by Emily Praetorius, … More Cool Stuff I’m Listening To: May 27, 2012
Oops! Accidentally skipped a week. Here you go! Betwixt and Between, Kim Scharnberg, for trombone, string quartet, and marimba. 5 Pieces for Trombone and Piano, Op. 198, by Ernst Krenek Clarinet Concerto (Peacock Tales), by Anders Hillborg, for clarinet and orchestra. One of my friends has a sticker on her cello case that says, “Hug … More Cool Stuff I’m Listening To: May 12, 2012
Howling at the Moon, by Dana Wilson, for saxophone quartet Thracian Echoes, by Derek Bermel, for clarinet and orchestra Cool Fire, by Paul Moravec, for flute, piano, and string quartet Soe-pa, by Ingram Marshall, for guitar
Happy Easter everyone! Here are my picks for this week, simply a few great selections from my theory class that I haven’t yet mentioned: Salome Dances for Peace, I. Anthem of the Great Spirit, “Half Wolf Dances Mad in Moonlight”, by Terry Riley, for string quartet Still Angry, by Andrew May, for flute, clarinet, and … More Cool Stuff I’m Listening To: April 8, 2012
The Desert Music, by Steve Reich, for amplified chorus and orchestra She Shooed the Tempting Shadow, by Anna E. Garman, for string quartet Await, by Anna E. Garman, for orchestra Dandelion, by Anna E. Garman, for solo trombone Fratres, by Arvo Pärt, for string quartet Violin Sonata No. 3, “Sonata Stramba,” by William Bolcom, for … More Cool Stuff I’m Listening To: March 25, 2012
Today I’m starting my second miniseries in order to share my findings in indie music, particularly music that I find relatively daring in it’s orchestration compared to mainstream pop music. I’d like to release a new post every two weeks. Shara Worden, also known as My Brightest Diamond, is the reason why I decided to … More Ear Candy: Music I’d Like to Hear on the Radio, Part I
Fourth Sonata for Violin and Piano, “Children’s Day at the Camp Meeting,” by Charles Ives Rhapsody for Clarinet and Orchestra (formerly titled Concerto for Clarinet), by Emily Praetorius, for clarinet and orchestra. Emily, a fellow composer in our studio, wrote this piece and performed it in our university’s annual concerto competition. String quartet, by Emily … More Cool Stuff I’m Listening To: February 26, 2012
Modulations, by John H. Beck, for timpani Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra, “Landscapes with Blues,” by Stephen Hartke New York Counterpoint, by Steve Reich, for 11 clarinets Concerto Grosso, by William Bolcom, for saxophone quartet and orchestra.
Every Lover is a Warrior, by Kati Agocs, for harp Suite for Cello and Harp, by Lou Harrison, for cello and harp Night Time, by Sebastian Currier, for harp and violin The Mask, by William Bolcom, for SATB choir and piano. William Bolcom will be coming to the University of Redlands March 5th-1oth for the Frederick … More Cool Stuff I’m Listening To: January 28, 2012
Last month, I decided to browse through and listen to about 20 string quartets in order to select a few to study more closely. Here are the pieces I have decided to study in the most depth: Rochberg, George, String Quartet No. 3 (1972) Husa, Karel, String Quartet No. 3 (1968) As well as a … More The Decision Has Been Made!
Fingerbib, by Richard D. James (Aphex Twin)/arr. Jonathan Newman for Alarm Will Sound The Chairman Dances, by John Adams, for orchestra Mountain Top, by Jacob Ter Veldhuis (JacobTV), for choir, soundtrack, and percussion Afternoon in March, by Gene Koshinski, for marimba solo (Gene is also the winner of ASCAP’s Rudolph Nissim prize–in fact, that’s how … More Cool Stuff I’m Listening To: January 14, 2012
Happy New Year everyone! Lately, I’ve been listening to the 22 quartets that I got from the library in efforts to narrow them down. The first stage of this project is going a lot quicker than I expected–there are only 6 more quartets left for me to listen to, and half of those don’t appear … More Cool Stuff I’m Listening To: January 2, 2012
Lately I’ve been exploring the albums Draumalandið by Valgeir Sigurðsson as well as Awake by the NOW Ensemble in addition to my usual listening on Q2: Past Tundra, by Valgeir Sigurðsson and Nico Muhly, for solo viola and mixed chamber ensemble including electronics “I offer prosperity and eternal life…”, by Valgeir Sigurðsson, for mixed chamber … More Cool Stuff I’m Listening To: December 18, 2011
Today, Dr. Suter sent me on an adventure to browse the string quartet collection. The plan is to listen to/look over numerous quartets until the point where I’m so filled with ideas that I can’t bear not to write. (This is the same quartet that I wrote for the Hugo Wolf Quartet to play, but … More It’s a string quartet marathon!
Today, Dr. Suter sent me on an adventure to browse the string quartet collection. The plan is to listen to/look over numerous quartets until the point where I’m so filled with ideas that I can’t bear not to write. (This is the same quartet that I wrote for the Hugo Wolf Quartet to play, but … More It’s a string quartet marathon!
And it’s FREE thanks to a successful Kickstarter campaign over the summer! Click here to download the album, mentioned on a previous post from the “Dynamic Duos” Miniseries.
More treats from Q2: String Quartet No. 4, “Buczak”, by Philip Glass for string quartet Stabat Mater, by Arvo Part, for soprano, alto, tenor, and string trio Soul Garden, by Derek Bermel, for solo viola and string quartet Magic with Everyday Objects, by Missy Mazzoli, for mixed chamber ensemble
This week’s edition features selections from a few recent concerts and recitals at U of R: Et la bête, by Natalie Moller, for solo violin Verisimilitude, by Natalie Moller, for 2 sopranos, flute, clarinet, flugelhorn, horn, violin, contrabass Clytemnestra and Agamemnon Take a Dirigible to the Adirondacks, by Blake Van Vliet, for percussion ensemble Samba … More Cool Stuff I’m Listening To: November 20, 2011
This week’s selection features pieces from the U of R New Music Ensemble concert (total awesomeness!) as well as the repertoire from the Composition Studio’s upcoming listening exam: Ghost Opera, by Tan Dun, for string quartet Duo pour violon et violoncelle, Op. 7, by Zoltan Kodály Piano Trio, by Jennifer Higdon, for violin, cello, and … More Cool Stuff I’m Listening To: October 29, 2011
Yesterday I attended a flute recital at U of R given by Paul Edmund-Davies. He gave quite a charismatic performance; the entire program was a treat! Here are the pieces from the program: The first three numbers were flute and piano sonatas written by Giuseppi Rabboni (the piano part was composed by Roger Vignoles). Sonata … More Cool Stuff I’m Listening To: October 17, 2011
I love comedy, and I love music. I especially love when they’re put together! These first selections are quite humorous works that I came across when trying to gather inspiration for writing a viola solo, which I plan to perform later this school year (more on that later). I found them in the suggestions column … More Cool Stuff I’m Listening To: September 24, 2011
Arrrrrrrrrrgh! Late again! Sheesh. I’ve been slipping little by little on this miniseries; I had originally planned it to be a Tuesday post. The start of school has been quite hectic because there’s been so much to do so early on, but I still have faith that it will be an awesome semester. Anyways…. This … More Dynamic Duos, Part IV: Nuttin’ But Stringz
This week in Recital Repertory, there was quite an entertaining selection of music; I was impressed. (Recital Repertory is a once-weekly class that music majors take at U of R in which we watch each other perform what we have been working on. We also have to attend recitals/concerts and turn in signed concert programs.) … More Cool Stuff I’m Listening To: September 17, 2011
PROJECT Trio is composed of three composer-performers: Greg Pattillo, the flautist, Eric Stephenson, the cellist, and Peter Seymour, the bassist. They are known for integrating many styles into their music such as hip-hop and jazz, and they often use their artistic versatility as a way to reach out to the youth and teach them about … More Dynamic Duos, Part III…Well, I cheated–this one’s a trio. 🙂
Oops! This edition is a little bit late and coming, my apologies. To begin with, this week in the composition studio, we looked at and listened to Zaka by Jennifer Higdon, for flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano, and percussion. I’d also like to listen to more of her works when I get the chance. There … More Cool Stuff I’m Listening To: September 11, 2011
I first came across Flutronix after hearing Allison Loggins-Hull’s piece Stacked on Q2. Allison Loggins-Hull and Nathalie Joachim make up this flute duo, and they often feature mixed media in their pieces. Not only are they quite innovative in their music, but they also give back to the community by leading exploratory music workshops for … More Dynamic Duos, Part II: Flutronix
After reading the interview in this blog post, I found a piece by composer Keeril Makan written for prepared viola. It is called Mu; there is a video below. The part I find most intriguing is about halfway through, where the viola is turned into a percussion instrument. I’ve always thought that stringed instruments are … More Cool Stuff I’m Listening To: September 3, 2011
I’m starting this miniseries simply because I just can’t help myself. I’ve heard so much great music lately. Charly and Margaux are epic. I’ve seen several classically trained violinists in the hip-hop realm (Miri Ben-Ari, Nuttin’ But Stringz), but a VIOLIST too? So excited!!! They also have a YouTube channel featuring many of their covers, … More Dynamic Duos, Part I: Charly & Margaux
This week, I revisited the webpage of the Wild Rumpus New Music Collective to learn a bit more about their members. I learned of them a while back when I ran across their call for scores. They have two composers devoted to their collective: Dan VanHassel and Jen Wang. I decided to Google them in … More Cool Stuff I’m Listening To: August 27, 2011
This week, I revisited the webpage of the Wild Rumpus New Music Collective to learn a bit more about their members. I learned of them a while back when I ran across their call for scores. They have two composers devoted to their collective: Dan VanHassel and Jen Wang. I decided to Google them in … More Cool Stuff I’m Listening To: August 27, 2011
Here are the pieces that I recently heard on Q2: Before Sleep and Dreams, by Aaron Jay Kernis, for piano. Armenian Rhapsody No. 3, Alan Hovhaness, for orchestra. Anthem of the Great Spirit: Peace Dance, by Terry Riley, for string quartet. String Quartet No. 1, “White Man Sleeps,” by Kevin Volans, for string quartet. I … More Cool Stuff I’m Listening To: August 13, 2011
This week, I listened to Nadia Sirota’s program on Q2 featuring winning music from “Roma, Roma Ma,” an Italian competition. Here is some of what I heard: Gradus by Stephen Hartke, for violin, bass, bass clarinet, piano, percussion, cello. In the fall semester at the composition studio, we studied Stephen Hartke’s Wulfstan at the Millennium … More Cool Stuff I’m Listening To: August 6, 2011
While surfing on the web, I came across some amazing pieces by Frank Zappa, and I’m pretty sure I’ll be going through more of them soon. I ran across these after browsing a bit through Eric Whitacre‘s blog. Lately, I’ve been going through old links that I neglected from our blog at the U of … More Cool Stuff I’m Listening To: July 30, 2011
Here are the latest pieces that I’ve heard and liked on Q2, an internet radio station by WQXR that is devoted to new music. Nagoya Marimbas by Steve Reich [Bob Becker, marimba; James Preiss, marimba] Concerto Bianco in C by Georgs Pelecis [Alexei Lubimov, piano; Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen: Heinrich Schiff, conductor] My Mister “Never Ending … More Cool Stuff I’m Listening To: July 23, 2011
As a composer, I’m not gonna lie–I’m somewhat partial to finding ways to support fellow new composers, and with that being said, I strongly want to perform new works. Of course, I love my regular dose of Bach (Cello Suite anyone?), but there are works that have been composed, even during my own lifetime, that … More So, I am totally NOT a virtuoso…..
