Lieuwen's Overland Dream Premiere

The world premiere of Peter Lieuwen's Overland Dream with SOLI Chamber Ensemble:

Value of composers

"Just the way a composer notates music can be significant," Anne Schreffler, chair of Harvard's music department says. "So even if they don't make changes, just seeing how they beam notes — whether the beam goes up or down, whether the notes are connected or separated, those kinds of things can give you insight into the musical structure. And when these pieces are published and printed, publishers have their own guidelines and rules, just as with printing of books. So certain aspects of the notation are always standardized. But in a manuscript, you can see a composer's idiosyncratic notation." (from a story from NPR about the sale of a score collection.)

So imagine the worth of hearing a composer speaking about the works, their inspiration and process.

Composing Thoughts Peter Lieuwen

SOLI Chamber Ensemble is preparing a new work by Peter Lieuwen, so it was a perfect excuse to go up to College Station and see his studio.
Lieuwen talks about technology, Overland Dream and how he composes physically.



Filmed Saturday June 4th, 2011 in Lieuwen's studio in College Station, Texas. (c) 2011-

Composing Thoughts Augusta Read Thomas

A discussion about Silent Moon with Gusty Thomas and a performance from the Walden Chamber Players.

Composing Thoughts Alex Shapiro

Speaking with Alex Shapiro about her upcoming trip on Symphonic Voyages.


Composing Thoughts Alex Shapiro from John Clare on Vimeo.

Whitacre outtake

Behind the scenes, a portion that was edited out of our conversation, when Eric remembered our first interview:
http://www.classicallyhip.com/sounds/WhitacreExcerpt.mp3

Composing Thoughts Whitacre

Eric Whitacre is working with new media to create the Virtual Choir...and is conducting hsi own works, as heard in the new Decca release, Light & Gold.

Whitacre spoke with John Clare about these projects and more.  Listen to their conversation:

Interview (mp3 file) (wav file)

Composing Thoughts Ticheli

Insight with Frank Ticheli about the U.S. premiere of his Clarinet Concerto:

Composing Thoughts: Ticheli Clarinet from John Clare on Vimeo.

Composing Thoughts Higdon 2010

While in Dallas, I spoke with Jennifer Higdon about winning the Pulitzer Prize, as the DSO was about to perform the winning work, her Violin Concerto with Hilary Hahn.

We also spoke about her new On a wire, a concerto for eighth blackbird to be premiered in June 2010.

Composing Thoughts Lang

I recently had a chance to talk with composer David Lang:

David Lang's the difficulty of crossing a field is being performed in Austin this week.
Libretto by Mac Wellman
Composed by David Lang
Directed by Luke Leonard
Music Directed by Lyn Koenning
Performances: April 28, 29, 30 & May 1 at 8:00 PM
May 1, 2 at 2:00 PM
B. Iden Payne Theatre
Tickets: $20 adults, $17 UT faculty & staff, $15 students available online at www.texasperformingarts.org or by phone at 512 477-6060.

Here is an excerpt of his opera:


Early next month you can catch Lang's Pulitzer Prize winning work, The Little Matchstick Girl Passion with Conspirare:
THE MYSTIC & THE STORYTELLER: BOTH SIDES NOW
From a mystical, stunningly beautiful requiem to a contemporary setting of a children’s fable, Conspirare explores life’s mysteries in music. Featuring David Lang’s beguiling Little Match Girl Passion, winner of the 2008 Pulitzer Prize in music.
WORKS * J.S. BACH, “O Haupt voll Blut und Wunden” from St. Matthew Passion */ *TOMÁS LUIS DE VICTORIA, Requiem (Missa pro defunctis) */* DAVID LANG, Little Match Girl Passion */* GIACOMO CARISSIMI, “Plorate filii Israel” from Jephte*
Thu, May 6, 7:30PM, St. Mary’s Catholic Church, 306 W. San Antonio St., Fredericksburg, TX 78624. Tickets: 830-997-7693.
Fri, May 7, 8:00PM, Sat, May 8, 8:00PM, Sun, May 9, 2:30PM, St. Martin’s Lutheran Church, 606 W. 15th St., Austin, TX 78701

Composing Thoughts: Kobialka

An interview with composer & violinist Daniel Kobialka.

Composing Thoughts Gordon

I recently had the chance to speak with composer Ricky Ian Gordon. Gordon (pictured right rehearsing at TLU) has emerged as one of the most successful writers of a kind of vocal music that straddles the world of theater and art song. His unusual ability to find the musical core of a poem or lyric and express that essence in an appropriate musical style, has given his songs great appeal to singers of all styles and persuasions. Mr. Gordon’s songs have been performed and or recorded by Renée Fleming, Dawn Upshaw, Audra MacDonald, Kristin Chenoweth, the late Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, Andrea Marcovici, Melanie Helton, Harolyn Blackwell, Betty Buckley, Margaret Lattimore, Stephanie Novacek and Mary Philips, among many others.
His accomplishments in musical theater are also very notable, with shows such as My Life with Albertine, Dream True, The Tibetan Book of the Dead, Only Heaven and Morning Star having been successfully performed. In 2010 a new musical, Sycamore Trees, will debut with the Signature Theater, for whom it was written with the generous help of the Shen Family Foundation. Ricky Ian Gordon has recently been commissioned by both the Minnesota Opera, for a second time (a work to be based on the novel, The Garden of the Finzi-Continis) and the Metropolitan Opera (the story of Victor Hugo’s daughter, Adele, in Nova Scotia).
Composer website: http://www.rickyiangordon.com/

Coming up in March 22, 2010 you can catch The Grapes Of Wrath at Carnegie Hall!
World Premiere Two Act Concert Version with Narrator
Collegiate Chorale, Chorus
conducted by Thomas Bagwell
American Symphony Orchestra
Conducted by Ted Sperling
Directed by Eric Simonson

Cast:
Narrator-Jane Fonda
Ma-Victoria Clark
Pa-Peter Halverson
Tom-Nathan Gunn
Al-Steven Pasquale
Noah-Andrew Wilkowski
Rosasharn-Elizabeth Futral
Ruthie-Madeline Gunn (Nathan's Daughter)
Winfield-TBA
Uncle John-Stephen Powell
Casy-Anthony Dean Griffey
Ragged Man/Connie/Trucker-Matthew Worth
Mae The Waitress-Christine Ebersole