Well, here we are, finally. Another spring is approaching, I’m frantically cleaning my apartment every day for no apparent reason, and contemplating the number of crunches I should (but probably won’t) do each day until summer.  Nevertheless, I’m a sucker for season transitions…

This spring will be one spent mainly abroad for me! In exactly one week, I will be on a plane to Milan with the Bang on a Can All-Stars. Our first concert at the Teatro Elfo Puccini will feature music by David Lang, Julia Wolfe, Michael Gordon, Thurston Moore(of Sonic Youth), Michael Nyman and the world premiere of “Life” by Louis Andriessen with video by Marijke Van Warmerdam. I feel like I shouldn’t tell you too much about this work before it’s actually performed but if you can hear for yourself at the U.S premiere in NYC at Zankel Hall on April 17th!! And, for those of you who aren’t familiar with Andriessen or his music…here are a few links that will shed some light: Info & Video

From Milan we go to Rome for a concert at the Teatro Palladium with composer/clarinetist Don Byron. I have not yet had the pleasure to work with him but  have seen and heard  him in action. Certainly one of the most natural players and musicians I’ve come across and as a composer, he possesses a unique voice that seems to draw from every genre of music, yet remains entirely it’s own entity. If I had to use one word to describe, it would be “refreshing.”  We will be performing several Byron selections including  Eugene, a suite in 6 movements which was written as a score for a 1960’s tv episode with comedy legend Ernie Kovacs. This piece was commissioned by the Bang on a Can All-stars and released on the album, A Ballad for Many in 2006. If you’re interested in more listening goodies, might I recommend the new EP “Seven,” which features Don’s 7 etudes for solo piano, written for one of my faaaaaaavorite pianists, Lisa Moore. The composition was nominated as a finalist for the 2009 Pulitzer Prize.

So, onto the next stop…..Amsterdam!!! OK, this is a place I have wanted to visit for quite some time now and I’m pretty psyched we will get to go there twice in the next few months! The concert in March will be at the Musiekgebouw and will feature Andriessen’s “Life” as well as “Ridegeway,” a piece by one of last year’s People’s Commissioning Fund composers, Kate Moore.

Which reminds me!! Sorry to jump ships here but I wanted to tell you about our annual People’s Commissioning Fund (PCF) concert at Merkin Hall a few weeks ago. This year we premiered four new works by Oscar Bettison, Christine Southworth, David Longstreth (of the Dirty Projectors) and Nik Baertsch. Every year this concert  is broadcast on WNYC’s New Sounds, hosted by John Shaefer. To hear the first of two broadcasts, click here.

Oscar Bettison’s The Afflicted Girl juxtaposed almost brutal cacophonies with the most hypnotizing, ethereal lines. There were many effective qualities throughout this composition, including the use of previously recorded samples and a variety of  ”non-traditional” sounds: bicycle bells, steel pan, tin cans, and an air horn.

In Concerning the Doodle by Christine Southworth, we totally got to rock out! This piece had a unique instrumentation, utilizing not only our instruments but also our voices, an Ewi(Electronic Wind Instrument), a Talk Box and a voice synthesizer. There was a video, by the  Clever Girls Collaborative, that went along with the music,  playfully outlining the adventures of a Golden Doodle. To hear the premiere performance of this piece and view a portion of the video, Canine Reverie, click here.

Next on the program were three vignettes by David Longstreth: Instructional Video, Matt Damon and Breakfast at J&M. Much like the music he writes for his band, I found this trilogy incredibly joyful and charming. What I found equally charming was the composer’s somewhat shy and awkward presence on stage when answering (and sometimes not answering) Shaefer’s questions. The music, in any case, spoke for itself. One thing Longstreth did say was that he felt his pieces all share a “goofy optimism,” a statement I would whole-heartedly agree with.

Last but certainly not least was Nik Baertch’s Modul 26…a total groove piece if you ask me. It begins with a soft vibration and slowly unfolds into a full-bodied organism, taking both listener and peformer on a journey through ” obsessive circular movement, superimposition of different meters and micro-interplay.” I mean really, there’s no better way to describe it. What I find so interesting about his music is that while it is extremely specific in principal and composition, it relies on and almost demands a certain amount of improvisation from the performer. Each part feeds off of another and develops accordingly. We got to work extensively on this particular Modul with Nik and I can honestly say it was different every time we played it. The idea was to let it grow organically and lead you where it wants…or maybe needs to go…

And where we need to go now is back on topic…

Our last stop after Amsterdam will be Knoxville, Tennessee, where we will join many artists such as the xx, Vampire Weekend,  the 802 Tour, Iva Bittova and the Dirty Projectors at the Big Ears Festival!  If you happen to be in the area, don’t miss our performances on March 27th at noon and midnight, featuring music by Evan Ziporyn, Michael Gordon, Thurston Moore, and David Longstreth….plus Terry Riley’s In C and Autodreamographical Tales.

That’s all for now! Please check out the Schedule page for details on performances and stay tuned for information regarding upcoming concerts in the Hague, Karlsruhe, and Copenhagen, as well the release of Everything Must Go (Albany Records), a compilation CD featuring the music of Martin Bresnick, including his Ballade for cello and piano. More to come….

Take care! -Ashley