Kyle Gann Vidéos
compositeur américain
Anniversaires
- États-Unis
- compositeur ou compositrice, musicologue, critique de musique, professeur ou professeure d'université, journaliste
Dernière mise à jour
2024-05-09
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Kyle Gann's introduction to the Concord Sonata during Ives Society President Donald Berman's live stream concert, Other Transcendentalists, at Mechanics Hall on October 20th, 2020. For more information on listening to the Concord Sonata, check out Gann's article, Following the Concord Sonata at charlesives.org. (http•••)
Robert Thompson Darius Milhaud Nadia Boulanger Arthur Honegger Vittorio Rieti Rudolph Ganz Kyle Gann Kenneth Schermerhorn Rubin London Symphony Orchestra Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra 1930 1976 1978 1980 1994
00:00 - I. "The Edge of Space" Fantasy / Bassoon: Robert Thompson Conductor: Geoffrey Simon Orchestra: London Symphony Orchestra Year of Recording: 1994 / "John Downey was born in Chicago where he received his early music education which included a healthy exposure to American jazz. He went on to study with Darius Milhaud, Nadia Boulanger, Arthur Honegger, Vittorio Rieti, and Rudolph Ganz. He has an impressive list of grants, awards, and commissions to his credit, not the least of which was being named Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French government, in 1980. Downey's music is characterized by free-flowing sections that evolve from one another, frequently imbued with what he calls "undercurrent jazz." In his orchestral compositions, he shows a strong feeling for instrumental color, a pervasive sense of structure, and a rich harmonic palette. His output encompasses music for a wide variety of media, from songs and unaccompanied solos to electronic tape pieces with light sculpture and partially controlled improvisation. In the words of Fanfare reviewed, Kyle Gann, "Downey is a musician for whom "isms" seem not to exist. His music is both tonal and dissonant, lyrical and yet too thorny to fall into categories of either conservatism, new romanticism, or post-minimalism. There are no gimmicks here, no systems, and little to indicate whether the pieces were written in 1930, 1980, or yesterday ... his music is filled with solid musicianship." The Fantasy was commissioned by the National Endowment for the Arts in cooperation with The Milwaukee Symphony in 1978, and received its premiere on 17 September of that year by the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra with Kenneth Schermerhorn as conductor and Stephen Basson, its dedicatee, as soloist. No other work in the repertoire displays the bassoon in so opulent a setting. Scale and proportion play an important role in this work of nearly twenty minutes length calling for a full symphonic accompaniment. Problems of balance in such a score are enormous, and presented a great challenge for the composer which he met head on. His success in this regard may be measured by the commission he received subsequently for an equally challenging work, his Concerto for Double Bass and Orchestra. Both works are enjoying a vigorous artistic existence. An Introduction opens the work with dark, sweeping gestures in the low strings that quickly envelop the entire orchestra. A rocking triplet figure gradually comes to the fore in the winds and the section closes with a massive eight-note chord spread over five octaves. The solo bassoon is put through all its paces, with wide leaps, flowing melodies and repeated-note passages in every register presenting a wide range of bassoonist's techniques while always continuing the organic growth of the musical material. A broad maestoso in the winds is then completed by the strings. At this point a marvellous sound occurs, one that makes the hairs stand on edge and is undoubtedly the impetus for the title, The Edge of Space. Over a pyramided B-D sharp-F sharp sustained in the strings (who are directed to insert mutes progressively during these bars), a chord is sounded by eight tuned crystal glasses resonated by the players running their fingers around the rims. Against that ethereal curtain of mystical sound a haunting tune is projected by the bassoon. There are too few such moments in music not to savour this exquisite colouristic timbre. The following section, transparent as chamber music, features a duo for solo violin and oboe supported by harp, woodwinds and strings. That gives way in turn to a section for woodwinds alone, one for massed brass homophony and a busy, random flurry through the orchestral choirs. A new mood (Jazzy-Cool') is set by a three-piece combo of bassoon, vibes and bass, which then passes to a melody marked Lyrico that is reminiscent of the bassoon's initial entry. The addition of an electric guitar to the score changes the colour yet again and leads back to the bassoon's last, haunting solo, marked Misterioso, accompanied by the celeste. The material grows and broadens and the thick chords heard earlier in the piece are restated at ever more subdued levels until the Fantasy ends in a dark, hushed whisper." (Emanuel Rubin & Irusha Czuszakivina) / Note: The score from the thumbnail (piano reduction) is not the one used for this video. The thumbnail was chosen to make the video more accessible, as opposed to a full-length vertical page. / COPYRIGHT Disclaimer, Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976. Allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.
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