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Blog 02.16.08 :: Truth or Consequences, NM After a great deal of traveling in Arizona, Oklahoma, and New Mexico I have finally found a great place to set up shop for a while. T or C New Mexico was named after a television show from 1949, when the host Ralph Edwards announced that he was after a town that would officially change their name to Truth or Consequences. Apparently there were tons of offers by different towns all across the states, but our town won. The people are great here, the weather is fantastic, and the art is everywhere. I haven't yet had a chance to enjoy a soak in one of the many natural hot springs, nor have I had a chance to climb a mountain, but all in due time. As for now, I'll be applying for my library card today, and perhaps purchasing a printer from the local office supply store.Back to top 02.01.08 :: Socorro, NM The past few days have been great. Very tiring, but great no less. I wrote some great music this morning in this really dodgy motel in Clayton New Mexico. We met some really great people there, and nearly found some work, so that we could get some free housing but it didn't work out in the end. As the fortune in my pocket relates 'patience is a virtue.'Back to top 01.24.08 :: Buffalo Grove, IL I have been rather ill the past few days, but this have given me tons of time to work on arranging some music I had originally written for the Chicago Chamber Musicians to play. The strange original instrumentation made the pieces quite unaccessible to any standard groups, so I began arranging them a few weeks ago. The process is extremely time consuming, and tedious but I am nearly finished. Their will be 5 movements, much like the Schoenberg Five Pieces for Orchestra, or the similar pieces by Berg, and Webern. I did have to write one new piece to make the complete set of five, which I was able to nearly finish yesterday. I feel that these pieces really exemplify a great balance and control in my writing. The orchestra is for a standard winds in pairs (with the addition of Tenor Sax, and Bari Sax), 4 horns, 4 perc, and strings. I have the intention of submitting this to a number of competitions that will commence in March.In other news, my friend Colin and I will be embarking on a journey, this coming week, from which we may not return. Neither of us has any ties to Chicago, and we are off towards the west coast. That being said, there is tons to get done before our departure, but my next entry should be from somewhere else on the globe. Back to top 01.11.08 :: Buffalo Grove, IL I has been rather productive the past few days. I finished writing and editing a piece I wrote for Piano Trio based off of a painting by Kandinsky, and recorded a piece written for solo cello by one of my composition teachers titled "Dedication." Along with this I also have begun to arrange some pieces that I wrote about two months ago for a rather unusual ensemble. The call for scores required that the ensemble a 'non-standard,' but I was only able sketch movements halfway before getting stuck. I did however manage to write quite a few pieces like this so until now they have just been sitting in wait. I'm now arranging them for a full orchestra similar to the Webern Op. 10 orchestra.I have always thought arranging my pieces is somewhat redundant and uselessly time consuming, but this has proven quite fruitful so far. On January 26th I managed to schedule a gig to play some solo cello music of mine. This will be my first performance in Buffalo Grove since the premier of my Impressions for Orchestra, in 2004 (?) Hopefully tonight, I'll be able to paint a little, and listen to some new Blonde Redhead Back to top 01.02.08 :: Buffalo Grove, IL It's been a bit since I posted an entry, and quite a bit has happened. I've moved back to Buffalo Grove, and I am currently exploring possibilities of studying in California. I recently played a few concerts in Naperville for a Christian Rock group, that were quite exciting. After I finished writing my 3rd book of "Thought Crimes for Cello," I had planned to record them, but with the hectic moving back to Illinois, and then a broken camera, I have only just recently been able to record them. So hopefully in the next few days, I will be able to add those videos, as well as some older videos of some of my earlier premiers. I have been listening to a lot of Ellen Taafffe Zwilich lately. I came across a recording of her Pulitzer Prize winning Symphony No. 1. The first movement of which is some of the greatest writing I have ever heard. Also a rather cool piece I have been listening to is Ruth Crawford Seeger's "Two Movements for Chamber Orchestra."My Grandfather on my Dad's side (who passed away long before I existed) was an artist. I have been able to track down a few paintings but until recently, I was only able to find a few early oils. Then yesterday I was at my Dad's house and I took a one of my grandfather's paintings off the wall, because my Dad had said that there was a painting wedged in the back to hold the displayed picture in place. We took out all of the nails and removed an absolutely brilliant painting done with acrylics on canvas board. It was dated 1950. I'll have a picture of the painting put up on the PHOTOS page in the next few days. Now I'll be getting back to Jodi Picoult, and a cup of coffee. Back to top 12.19.07 :: Buffalo Grove, IL After a rather long, arduous, and tedious drive from Ithaca to Buffalo Grove, I should be exhausted and yet I can't sleep. Instead I've been printing parts for the piece I wrote for two pianos, and Vibes. The piece is called "Five Pictures, Five Captions." I am really going to push to get a performance of this piece in the Buffalo Grove area, because all of my poets, that I collaborated with on the piece live nearby there. The piece though it is a 10 movement work, is only about 24 minutes in length. It runs through a emotional roller coaster, with moments of extreme seriousness, to the psychedelic, to the hysterical.I am also preparing the music of my third book of Thought Crimes, so I can bind these tomorrow as well. In other news I have been hugely entertained by audio books as of late. I always knew they existed but I never had any reason to check them seeing as how I can read. But then it occurred to me, what better way to pass the time on a long car ride, than listen to a book. I started with a great compilation of American authors, and then moved on to a collection of shorts by John Updike. One in particular that I really loved was his "Gesturing." Lastly, I will be recording my piece "The Boy," and a new piece called "Selbstportrat," for Youtube. Also very soon I will be recording Anthony Ritchie's solo cello piece titled "Dedication." Back to top 12.14.07 :: Ithaca, NY Though the past few days have been quite stressful with personal matters, I have managed to complete my third book of "Thought Crimes." If I needed to give this book a subtitle, I might be inclined to call it the dissonant book. Four more great pieces though that I am quite proud of. I am currently working on the piece "The Boy," to be recorded for youtube, and hopefully shortly there after I'll record my "Self Portrait." I have been very into Schoenberg recently, and hence I'm into Kandinsky. I can't get enough of either of them. The Allen Shawn biography on Arnold is the only biography that I have actually been able to read cover to cover. It's brilliantly written. I am very near completing the piece for two pianos, vibes, and narrator. I will finish this before I leave to go back to Chicago next week. I've been painting a lot, and though I haven't yet gotten anything put up in a gallery, I reckon soon the time will come. I am also bouncing around the idea of doing a piece for the Pierrot Ensemble. A few contests are cropping up calling for this instrumentation, and I have some good friends at ISU that are interested in doing a piece for this ensemble. Thats all for now.Back to top 12.10.07 :: Ithaca, NY I have recently attended a number of great concerts, at Cornell, and Ithaca College. Last night I heard an absolutely brilliant piece titled "Mudra," for percussion ensemble. The soloist in the piece plays tabla rhythms on the snare drum.The night prior I went and saw a DMA students recital at Cornell. The composer Tom Schneller had scored quite a few films, the last of which was a set called Berlin Tryptich. The music was absolutely frightening. I finished two more "Thought Crimes," for solo cello, over the past few days, and I am currently working on recording the first piece in my "Book 3." Titled "The Boy." Finally, I have been recently writing a piece for wineglasses, and violin, that Vicki and I will be recording for youtube. Back to top 12.03.07 :: Ithaca, NY Recently I have been a little busier than in the past few weeks. Thank God I got some gigs. Actually funny I mentioned God, since I did play a gig for a Christian Rock Guru, in Binghampton a few days ago.Back to top 11.28.07 :: Ithaca, NY Though today was incredibly unproductive, I did manage to write and edit a bit of a new piece. This piece I have been writing for 2 pianos, and vibes has taken on a whole new life. There will be poetry read after every movement, and so I have asked some of my friends to write some of this material.I have been recently watching lots of silent films, and short films looking for inspiration. Heaps of brilliant stuff, but nothing has come of it yet. In the mail I have recently received the recording of my first symphony, and the subsequent reviews from Marie Labonvilles music appreciation class at ISU. I always love to hear non-musicians comments on my pieces. To me these are far more important in many ways than musicians reviews. Those who actually listen to music for no other reason than entertainment, they are my true fans. I love to read people write This piece used a dark and scary sound. The tones did not appear to complement each other fully. Or When the lighter music was played, it sounded almost like the music that one would hear in a Disney movie. I really have never thought of my music as movie music, but apparently others hear it as such. Some other great reviews include statements like It didnt seem to have any exciting notes or climactic points, or When I listened to the piece I could sense his heart ache. Another negative review was ...the pace did pick up somewhat during the second movement, but it was just not enjoyable listening music. I thought perhaps it my music is better not listened to but stored on a shelf. Maybe its good shelving music. The reviews werent all negative. Perhaps the best review I received was The anticipation for a climatic moment was intense, and then all of a sudden the music exploded. I can safely say that I actually had the chills when this happened, which has never happened to me before in a concert. In retrospect, after listening to the recording I reckon that yes all of these reviews are true in my opinion. I am indebted to Ms. Labonvilles class for giving me there true and honest opinions. Overall, I am quite pleased. I could only hope to be lucky enough to actually give somebody the chills with the notes I write. Its not a common occurrence. I yearn for this feeling all day long, every day. Sometimes Ill catch a glimpse of an amazing singer on American Idle, sometimes, Ill hear the microwave go off, just a split second before the oven timer, and sometimes Ill put on Puccini, but only once in a rare while will I actually hear something that makes my skin wiggle. Back to top 11.23.07 :: Ithaca, NY I had a delicious thanksgiving dinner with Victory yesterday. We listened to Alice's Restaurant, and a lot of Steve Reich, and some Beatles. I also managed to record Mary's Gone Feral for Youtube testerday, so that should be available in the next few days.Today I've been uselessly unproductive, not that I haven't tried. Perhaps Vicki and I will record Owl Brook Lament tonight. I'm at the library where I have limited time to use the computer, so Happy Thanksgiving!!! Back to top 11.20.07 :: Ithaca, NY It's been bloody cold, and miserable here in New York, that past few days. I'm not sure how long I can take it. I did see a new music concert in Penn Yan yesterday. Mostly mediocre stuff, but a piece by Richard Auldon Clark had some really nice colours. Today I recorded Moe the Moa for YouTube.Moe the Moa, is the first, and only piece to date that is an aleatoric piece for me. I am very pleased with the recording. Aside from that, I wasn't able to get a job at the local library, but I hold a bit hope for a teaching position at one of the local music schools here. Back to top 11.16.07 :: Ithaca, NY I set out this evening with the intention of going to so a wind ensemble concert a Cornell University, only to have to stop a grocery store on the way in order to regain the feeling in my face, and legs. I've been miserable in this cold, and its only getting worse.Yesterday I recorded and posted two new videos on Youtube. I originally set out only to record Oh Noh Cho from my second book of Thought Crimes for cello, but feeling inspired I did a few runs of Bobby, and wound up getting a great recording the first time. Be sure to visit our new Video page to check out all the videos that have been posted recently. Today I had to go through tons of my old recordings in order to find the premier date for some older pieces. A contest I'm submitting my String Trio to in California, requested, not only a list of works but also there performance history. As for writing, nothing of any worth has been written for a while. I am however editing a portion to a piece that could well turn into a Sonatina for Violin, and Piano. Back to top 11.12.07 :: Ithaca, NY I arrived in Ithaca this afternoon, after a rather long train ride from Chicago. I finished the edits on a second movement for my antiphonal piano piece, and am working on sketches for a third. I'm looking forward, to a bit of time away from Chicago, and working on Erwin Schulhoff's Duo with Vicki. As for now I'll be getting back to Austin Powers, and Leon Kirchner.Back to top 11.09.07 :: Deerfield, IL This past Wednesday I attended a MusicNow concert at the Harris Theatre in Chicago. Overall quite a spectacular concert. The first piece on the program was Marc Anthony-Turnage's Eulogy, for a chamber ensemble with solo viola. Probably the weakest piece on the program, but no less an interesting work. The piece lost my interest about halfway through when the writing became a rather cliche, color exchange, driven collage.The two middle pieces were definetly the strongest of the program. My favorite of the two was Derek Johnson's Frozen Light. Structurally, Johnson does some brilliant things, contrasting very dense textures, with very simple sparse ones he forces the listener to continually shift there focus. He also did some great things avoiding any direct repetitions, by bringing back similar textures that only vaguely hinted at the idea of a repitition. Nico Muhly's work Step Team was a bit dissapointing towards the latter portion of the piece when it seemed that the composer had either run out of ideas, or simply forgot how to develop musical material. Thats not to say that the piece was all for nought, as the opening, and subsequent sections were greatly driving, and very emotionally affecting. I just listened to John Adams On the Transmigration of Souls, and was once again brought back to my days when I listened to nothing but minimalist music. Early in my studies at Illinois State I was studying with Serra Hwang and everything I brought into show her in my lessons was essentially me trying to be Steve Reich, or Terry Reily, or John Adams. Thankfully this phase passed, and I began to develop my own voice, and my love for minimalist music eventually fell to the wayside. Every now and then though, I do revist a Piano Phase, or Shaker Loops, or the Terry Reilly Requiem, and I am brought back to that early love for this music. Now I must get back to my Heineken, and Andras Schiff's recording of the Bach English Suites. Back to top 11.06.07 :: Buffalo Grove, IL The premier of the Chamber Symphony went really well. A decent crowd of not only students and faculty, but also quite a few local Bloomington/Normal residents. Today, I'll be recording the last of the Thought Crimes in book 2, titled "The Wee One," and hopefully doing a video recording to post on the site, as well.I have heaps to get done before leaving to go back to Ithaca on the 11th. My desktop computer is still lifeless, so this slows the process quite a bit. Once I finish this recording I'll take my cello to Lake in the Hills to get a sound post adjustment, and some other minor tinkerings done. Hopefully while out that way I can combine this with a trip to Libertyville so I can allocate some extra hard drives to backup my computer. Somewhere in this mess I will find the time to finish editing the first 2 movements of a new piece for two pianos and vibes, and then by tonight I should be able to begin work on a third movement. Off to work. Back to top 10.29.07 :: Deerfield, IL Today's tasks were hindered by my computer crashing, and leaving me to piece together materials for a presentation on my music. I'll be presenting a number of my pieces to David Feurzeig's composition course on November 1st, including my second Chamber Symphony, Thought Crimes for Cello, and my Cello Sonata.Last night's Beethoven Missa Solemnis concert went very well. I think my love of the piece has only just begun. With such a massive piece of music, it truely takes playing the piece to appreciate it like I now do. The rest of this week I'll be spending in Bloomington doing the final preparations for my Chamber Symphony premier. Tommorow is a full day of rehearsals, and then I'll be spending the night hanging some newly designed flyers through downtown Bloomington, and Normal, with my friend Colin Hardersen. Back to top 10.26.07 :: Deerfield, IL The rehearsals are actually going quite painlessly for my upcoming premier of the first Chamber Symphony with Illinois State University's Orchestra. Only two rehearsals left until the premier on November 1st. My piece is second on the program in between Dumbarton Oaks, and Carnival of the Animals.I've begun writing a piece for two pianos, and vibes. Suprisingly the piece is going quite well. More on this later. Recently I have been spending a lot of time with Aaron Copland's Piano Fantasy, with the intention of posting some of my analysis on the website, for others to peruse. And now to my much needed practicing for the upcoming Beethoven Missa Solemnis concert on the 28th. Back to top 10.21.07 :: Buffalo Grove, IL Today was rather busy, with part production for my recent prize winning Music in Limbo, and practicing some of my Though Crime's for cello, so I can make videos to be posted on the site.It was quite interesting to look at the lineup of all of the previous winners for the Philip Neill prize, of which I am the newest addition. The first winner was Douglas Lilburn in 1944. I recognized quite a few names on the list but no Gillian Whitehead. She is easily one of the best Kiwi composers ever. I just finished listening to Aaron Copland's Piano Fantasy. Absolutely brilliant. It occurred to me whilst searching the web for info about the piece, that no thorough analysis exists, and perhaps I should change that. I might put the analysis up on my page. Time to return to my Peter Dexter, and Mr. Copland Back to top |
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