http://blog.corneliusdufallo.com/ Urban Modes: Music and Life in New York en-us Nucleus CMS v3.24 © Weblog http://backend.userland.com/rss http://blog.corneliusdufallo.com//nucleus/nucleus2.gif http://blog.corneliusdufallo.com/ http://blog.corneliusdufallo.com/index.php?itemid=98 J.Marc in Tribeca.


]]> General http://blog.corneliusdufallo.com/index.php?itemid=98 Thu, 15 May 2008 00:20:13 -0400 http://blog.corneliusdufallo.com/index.php?itemid=97 Review by Kieth Powers of the Boston Herald.]]> General http://blog.corneliusdufallo.com/index.php?itemid=97 Mon, 12 May 2008 23:45:41 -0400 http://blog.corneliusdufallo.com/index.php?itemid=96
Messiaen Quartet for the End of Time (played by Tashi; RCA)

Scott Johnson John Somebody (Tzadik)

Faure, Debussy, Poulenc Nuit d'etoiles - French Songs (Veronique Gens and Roger Vignoles; Virgin Classics)]]> General http://blog.corneliusdufallo.com/index.php?itemid=96 Mon, 12 May 2008 23:33:46 -0400 http://blog.corneliusdufallo.com/index.php?itemid=95
"The string quartet is, by its nature, a conservative organization..."

That's an interesting statement. Would Beethoven have agreed when he wrote the Grosse Fuge?

How can a group of instruments be inherently conservative or radical?

It's almost like saying, "Human beings are, by their nature, Republican."




]]> General http://blog.corneliusdufallo.com/index.php?itemid=95 Mon, 12 May 2008 23:17:52 -0400 http://blog.corneliusdufallo.com/index.php?itemid=93 Here is a list of the works we presented this season.
10 world premieres (marked with *)

Earle Brown - December 1952
Kenji Bunch - Contingencies*
Shelley Burgon - Josephine's Tiger*
Shelley Burgon - glass trees
Cornelius Cardew - Octet '61 for Jasper Johns
Yves Dharamraj - Waiting for 950
Cornelius Dufallo - Concerto Grosso
Cornelius Dufallo - H/A*
Dufallo/Frasconi/La Barbara - Emergences*
Dufallo/Frasconi/La Barbara - Remains of the Day*
Julius Eastman - Stay On It
Miguel Frasconi - Distancing #4*
Miguel Frasconi - Tasks & Objects
Jon Gibson - Anthem for Relative Calm
Jon Gibson - Multiples
Ariana Kim - Patterns*
Joan La Barbara - Circular Song
Joan La Barbara - in the shadow and act of the haunting place
Joan La Barbara - Scatter*
Joan La Barbara - Words on Water (Shimmer)*
Chris McIntyre - Raster for quintet*
Michael Schumacher - Grid
Wadada Leo Smith - In the Diaspora
Lois V. Vierk - River Beneath the River
Lois V. Vierk - Into the Brightening Air
Christian Wolff - For 1,2, or 3 People

Can't wait to start again on the Fall...
]]> General http://blog.corneliusdufallo.com/index.php?itemid=93 Tue, 6 May 2008 00:09:27 -0400 http://blog.corneliusdufallo.com/index.php?itemid=92 Recommended reading:

Erica Goode's excellent article about two Iraqi Oud players. One of them is Rahim Alhaj, whom I met in Albuquerque.

Playlist:

Steve Reich Different Trains (Kronos Quartet; Elektra/Nonesuch)
Igor Stravinsky Piano Sonata (Nicolai Petrov; Praga)
Miles Davis Filles de Kilamanjaro (Columbia)]]> General http://blog.corneliusdufallo.com/index.php?itemid=92 Thu, 1 May 2008 16:39:01 -0400 http://blog.corneliusdufallo.com/index.php?itemid=91 ArtPower! series.

I am genuinely impressed with Mr. Wollesen's work as Artistic Director of ArtPower!. His programming is diverse and eclectic: this season's concerts include Emerson String Quartet, Ecstasy of the Whirling Dervishes, Paris Piano Trio, Armenian Shoghaken Folk Ensemble, Music from the Crooked Road, Hugo Wolf Quartett, 2 Foot Yard, and more.

I find it refreshing to perform in a concert series that has no dichotomy between "normal" and "out of the ordinary." Typically concert presenters offer several "normal" concerts (a string quartet, a brass ensemble, a choral group, a solo recital) and then one or two "out of the ordinary" concerts. The latter is the category that ETHEL often falls into in this context. The problem with this style of programming is that the subscribers often choose to skip the "weird" event. Of course, this makes perfect sense -- if an event is presented as "weird" then why would anyone but the very adventurous choose to attend?

Today's concert-goers do not lack curiosity or adventurous spirit. It's simply a question of the context that the presenter creates.

Mr. Wollesen offers a concert series for the 21st century. Nothing is weird, and nothing is normal. His subscribers trust that whatever he programs - wherever it may come from and whatever style it may be - will be high quality. How do I know this?

His concerts SELL OUT.

In case you missed that, let me repeat it:

His concerts SELL OUT.

In other words, by the time the performance happens all of the seats have been filled.

Mr. Wollesen is clearly onto something. Even his "letter from the director" (the introductory page in the program book that can normally be used as a fairly effective tranquilizer) is inspired -- see below:

"As human beings we have the capacity to think broadly and feel deeply. We also have the ability to ossify in the opposite direction. It is perhaps because of the former, and as a gaurd against the latter, that I love the performing arts. As an active audience member I experience music and dance as a way to see the world with new eyes, to hear with new ears. As a result I am able to see myself and my place in community with a sharper understanding of what is possible.

ArtPower! is committed to worlds of discovery with an international season featuring artists of stunning talent and diverse perspectives. With creative innovators from Spain and Italy to Vietnam and cape Verde, we are building conversations not borders, relationships not factions. This is sometimes challenging, but always necessary. Always exciting.

As a performing arts organization based at UC San Diego, ArtPower! has a central role in the intellectual interchange that is at the core of human development and social responsibility. The performing arts allow for nuance of understanding in this interchange and can most effectively express the essentialness of being human. As long as we continue to participate in the creative investigation of our own experience, as well as the world around us, we move forward.

I hope you will discover something new -- and hopefully something essential -- in this season's performances that will give you joy. And when you do, share that joy with others.

ArtPower! to the people!"

Preview article:

A couple weeks ago Andrew Gilbert interviewed me for his very nice preview article in the San Diego Union-Tribune.








]]> General http://blog.corneliusdufallo.com/index.php?itemid=91 Sun, 27 Apr 2008 23:20:06 -0400 http://blog.corneliusdufallo.com/index.php?itemid=90 Stephen Gosling and Eric Huebner's recent performance of Stravinsky's piano music was a tour de force -- really one of the best concerts I have witnessed in quite a while.

This was the program:

Sonata for two pianos (1943-44)
Sonata for piano (1924)
Three Movements from Petrushka (1921)
Piano-Rag-Music (1919)
Tango (1940)
Concerto for piano and winds (two-piano version) (1920)

There are few composers who hold up to the test of a "one composer show" as well as Stravinsky.

The chapel at St. Bartholomew's had very nice acoustics, as well. George Steel has done a great on the Stravinsky Festival. I wish I could have gone to more of the concerts. The next one is Thursday, I believe. Music for violin and piano, played by Jeremy Denk and Jennifer Frautschi. I would definitely go, but I'll be in San Diego performing with ETHEL at USCD.

Some things I've been listening to lately:

Debussy Sonata for Flute, Viola, and Harp (played by Bourdin, LeQuien, and Challan) (Phillips)
Duke Ellington and John Coltrane (Impulse)
George Gershwin Plays the Rhapsody in Blue (20th Century Fox)
Ravel Trio for Violin, Cello and Piano (played by Laredo, Solow, and Laredo) (Columbia)





]]> General http://blog.corneliusdufallo.com/index.php?itemid=90 Thu, 24 Apr 2008 03:36:09 -0400 http://blog.corneliusdufallo.com/index.php?itemid=88
Amy and Leah

"I recently read Michael Pollan's book, In Defense of Food, which makes a strong case for (among other things) eating whole grains and local produce. With that in mind, Leah and I made some whole wheat apple-cinnamon rolls, just tweaking our regular recipe a little bit in order to make them a little more healthful. They turned out well, so I'm copying the recipe below just in case anyone wants to try it. Enjoy!"

Cinnamon rolls

Whole wheat apple cinnamon rolls

2 c. whole wheat flour
2 c. white bread flour (up to 1/3 c. more if necessary for the dough)
1 pkg. active dry yeast
1 c. milk or soymilk
1/3 c. sugar
1/3 c. butter or margarine
1/2 tsp. salt
2 eggs or equivalent egg replacer
3/4 c. brown sugar
3 med. apples, peeled and grated
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 Tbs. flour

Combine whole wheat flour and yeast in a large mixing bowl. In a medium saucepan, heat the milk or soymilk, 1/3 c. sugar, 1/3 c. butter or margarine, and salt until just warm and butter almost melts. Add milk mixture to the dry mixture along with eggs or egg replacer. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, then on high for three minutes. Stir in as much of the white flour as you can with a spoon.
On a floured surface (or just in the same bowl), knead in the remaining flour to make a moderately soft dough that is smooth and elastic (it may take more kneading than it would with only white flour). Shape dough into a ball, and place into a lightly greased bowl (or just grease the bowl you used for kneading, and put it back in). Cover and let rise in a warm place until double, about one hour.
While dough is rising, combine the 3/4 c. brown sugar, 1 Tbs. flour, and grated apples.
When dough has risen, punch it down and let it rest for a few minutes. Lightly grease the pan(s) you want to put the rolls in -- a 13x9 in. pan, 2-3 round cake pans (depending on size), or 24 muffin tins. Divide dough in half, and roll out one half at a time into a 12x8 rectangle. Cover evenly with half of the apple mixture, squeezing out excess liquid from the apples if necessary. Roll up lengthwise, so that you have a long cylinder of dough. Cut into 12 equal slices using a serrated knife. Place slices in prepared pans, cover, and let rise until doubled again, about 30 minutes. Repeat with the other half of the dough and apple mixture.
Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes. If desired, frost with a glaze made of 1 c. powdered sugar, 1 tsp. vanilla, and 1 Tbs. milk or soymilk.
]]> General http://blog.corneliusdufallo.com/index.php?itemid=88 Wed, 16 Apr 2008 16:20:35 -0400 http://blog.corneliusdufallo.com/index.php?itemid=87 Huang Ruo's Four Fragments for solo violin at Symphony Space (Leonard Nimoy Thalia).

Wednesday and Thursday nights ETHEL is playing Vijay Iyer's Mutations at The Kitchen.

Both really great pieces - I highly recommend these concerts.

]]> General http://blog.corneliusdufallo.com/index.php?itemid=87 Mon, 14 Apr 2008 01:25:30 -0400