Saturday, May 20, 2017 3:00 p.m. Percussion Showcase & Percussion Ensemble Michael Kozakis, director DePaul 800 West Belden Avenue Chicago
Saturday, May 20, 2017 3:00 p.m. DePaul Percussion Showcase & Percussion Ensemble Michael Kozakis, director Program Iannis Xenakis (1922-2001) Rebonds (b) (1988) Eric Sammut (b.1968) Ameline (2010) Christian Hughes, multi-percussion Sarah Weddle, marimba Jacob Druckman (1928-1996) Reflections on the Nature of Water (1986) II. Fleet Leo Taylor, marimba Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) Sonata No. 1 for Solo Violin in G Minor, BWV 1001 II. Fugue David Lang (b. 1957) Anvil Chorus (1991) Paul Lansky (b. 1944) Three Moves (1998) I. Hop(2) Carley Yanuck, marimba Mark Linley, multi-percussion Christian Moreno, marimba Casey Cangelosi (b. 1982) Theatric No. 6 Hiding in Plain Sight No. 2 (2009) Thomas Farnsworth and Miyu Morita, percussion
Steve Reich (b. 1936) Music For Pieces of Wood (1973) DePaul Percussion Ensemble Percussion Ensemble May 20, 2017 program intermission David Skidmore (b. 1982) Ritual Music (2004) DePaul Percussion Ensemble Rebecca Laurito, guest ensemble coach Alexej Gerassimez (b. 1987) Piazonore (2014) Yulia Block, vibraphone & Girogi Samadalashvili, piano Johann Sebastian Bach Violin Partita No. 3 in E Major, BWV 1006 (pub. 1802) III. Gavotte en rondeau Rebecca Laurito, marimba George Tantchev Sr. (b. 1969) Intro and blues in 11 (pub. 2004) Marc Mellits (b. 1966) Black (2008) George Tantchev, marimba Ian Ding and Michael Kozakis, marimbas David Maslanka (b. 1943) Crown of Thorns DePaul Percussion Ensemble
Program Notes Iannis Xenakis (1922-2001) Rebonds (1988) Duration: 6 minutes Xenakis Rebonds is a stochastic work, which means that its compositional process was dictated very much in part by the entering of logarithms into a computer. Unfortunate on behalf of the performer is that this created a number of technically impossible passages within the music. Thus, the performer is tasked with creating a uniquely idiosyncratic performance practice in his decisions of leaving out certain notes or playing at certain tempos, for instance. However, in the case of Rebonds, one should not be fooled by this method of composing; a number of factors - tempo, dynamics, and most importantly instrumentation - allow the piece to emit an essential, almost primal feel. Notes by Christian Hughes. Eric Sammut (b.1968) Ameline (2010) Duration: 5 minutes Born in 1968 in Toulouse, France, Eric Sammut began his musical journey on the piano, eventually transitioning to percussion. In 1989, Sammut became the Principal Percussionist at l Opera de Lyon, and after years of study and success, developed a passion for the marimba. He has since become one of the most notable composers of marimba solo repertoire. Ameline is a fairly recent work of Sammut s, written in 2010. Alternating between 7/8 and 4/4 time signatures, the piece explores Latin and improvisatory-like styles. Notes by Sarah Weddle. Jacob Druckman (1928-1996) Reflections on the Nature of Water (1986) Duration: 2 minutes The second movement, entitled Fleet, starts with the element of an open fifth permutation as its main motivic material. This permutation gesture, which is played with a mallet sticking order of 4 3 1 2, is idiomatic of marimba technique and facilitates fast tempos. This permutation gesture is used throughout the entire movement. This initial gesture is then followed by another motive: a stream of continuous thirty-second notes on the same pitch. The shape of the permutation gesture is used as a basis for most of the rest of the movement. -Notes by I-Jen Fang, doctorate dissertation, University of North Texas, 2005.
program notes Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) Sonata No. 1 G Minor for Solo Violin, BWV 1001 Duration: 5 minutes J.S. Bach wrote the six violin sonatas and partitas, six cello suites, and the Brandenburg concertos between the span of 1703-1720 when he was under the employment of the Duke of Weimar. These works demonstrate Bach s thorough understanding of the string instrument and today are still highly respected pieces of music. Never performed in Bach s lifetime due to lack of publication, they are widely played today on almost every instrument. The six violin sonatas and partitas were published in 1802 and contained various mistakes, some that have permeated into later editions, like the absence of bar 87 in the G minor fugue. The G minor fugue is the second movement of the Sonata No. 1. The sonata contains four movements in the slow-fastslow-fast pattern of the Baroque Sonata de Chiesa (Church Sonata), with the first two movements paired as a prelude and fugue. The fugue was later reworked by Bach as part of the Prelude and Fugue in D minor, BWV 539 and for lute in the Fugue, BWV 1000. Although written for violin, I will be performing this movement on marimba. Playing Bach on a modern instrument comes with different challenges and I have re-worked some passages due to instrument constraints. Notes by Carley Yanuck. David Lang (b. 1957) Anvil Chorus (1991) Duration: 8 minutes From the composer:...how could several blacksmiths hammer on a single piece of metal without getting in each other s way? Smiths solved this problem by singing songs together which would control the beat patterns of the hammers. There was a different song for each number of participating blacksmiths obviously, a song that allowed for three hammer strokes would be confusing and even dangerous if used to coordinate four smiths. My solo percussion piece The Anvil Chorus also uses a melody to control various beat patterns. The melody is played on resonant junk metals of the percussionist s choosing, and, by adding certain rules, it triggers an odd accompaniment of non-resonant junk metals, played both by hand and by foot. - David Lang
program notes Paul Lansky (b. 1944) Three Moves (1998) Duration: 4 minutes Hop(2) is a musical voyage in both groove and harmonic complexity. Composed for the 5 octave marimba, this work explores the entire range of the instrument with its extreme leaps in register and its challenging intervalic motion. Hop(2) is riddled with colorful melodic gestures and rich jazz-based chromaticism, lying upon a foundation of bold and syncopated accompaniment, with heavy importance placed upon the moving bass notes. This piece was inspired by Paul Lanky s Hop, which was written for Nancy Zeltsman s violin-marimba duo, Marimolin, with Sharan Leventhal. The original work ended with an enticing groove section, and upon request by Zeltsman, was developed and molded into the solo you are hearing today. Notes by Christian Moreno. Casey Cangelosi (b. 1982) Theatric No. 6 Hiding in Plain Sight No. 2 (2009) Duration: 6 minutes Theatric No. 6 Hiding in Plain Sight No. 2 was written in 2009 by Casey Cangelosi. This piece is a duet written for two players to play facing each other and on the same drums. Cangelosi writes intricate, fast rhythms and trading off notes. This piece contains themes where one player echoes the notes of the player before them and parts of each players part making up composite rhythms. Cangelosi even writes in fake notes in each players part. The instruments in this piece are a bass drum, tom tom, and two bongos. Notes by Thomas Farnsworth and Miyu Morita. Steve Reich (b. 1936) Music For Pieces of Wood (1973) Duration: 9 minutes In the summer of 1970, Steve Reich traveled to the West-African country of Ghana to study its elaborate musical traditions - particularly its drumming traditions. Reich returned to the U.S. a few months later and brought with him a number of fascinating musical concepts that had yet to be witnessed in much of the West, especially within the sphere of classical music. Although music for pieces of wood is by no means a direct transcription of African drumming patterns, one can certainly hear its influences in the individual polyrhythmic clave rhythms, the dense layering of related clave patterns on top of each other, and the ambiguity of downbeat placement on behalf of the listener. All of these factors culminate to create a dynamic whole that brings remnants of the African tradition to the modern concert hall. Notes by Christian Hughes.
program notes David Skidmore (b. 1982) Ritual Music (2004) Duration: 5 minutes David Skidmore is a percussionist, composer and founding member of Grammy award-winning group Third Coast Percussion. In addition to performing and teaching with the group, David s works are frequently performed across the country. From the composer: Ritual Music (variations on the numbers 2 and 4) was written for the Chicago dance company Raizel Performances and was premiered in collaboration with that group in the spring of 2005. As the title suggests, I used the numbers 2 and 4 to bring order to the primeval timbres and violent counterpoint of the piece. The pitches in the marimba, the rhythmic motifs and the structure of the phrases were all determined numerically. As such, a friction is created between the mechanical simplicity of the structural elements and the abandon with which the instruments shout, shriek, groan and wail. The ritual is tightly controlled with respect to its numeric foundations, yet it is also an incantation of things far more frantic and powerful. Thus the piece can act as a sort of overture for percussion. -David Skidmore Alexej Gerassimez (b. 1987) Piazonore (2014) Duration: 5 minutes Composed in 2014 as a unique jazz vibraphone/piano duo, Alexej Gerassimez s Piazonore is a five-and-a-half minute, single-movement composition. When Alexej Gerassimez first started writing Piazonore for vibraphone and piano, it was originally going to be an arrangement of Piazzolla s popular Libertango. Along the way, that idea shifted over to something more personal. However, the adventurous tango character of Libertango and clear shadows of Piazzolla s writing still exist inside the work. Notes from Percussion Source & by Yulia Block. Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) Violin Partita No. 3 in E major, BWV 1006 (pub. 1802) Duration: 3 minutes The sonatas and partitas for solo violin are a set of 6 works composed by Johann Sebastian Bach. The set was composed in 1720 but it wasn t until 1802 that they were published. Even after publication, the works were mostly ignored until violinist Joseph Joachim started performing them. Now, Bach s Sonatas and Partitas are part of the standard repertoire for violin (and marimba!) and are frequently performed and recorded.
program notes The sonatas and partitas reflect Bach s skill as both a performer and composer. Only someone with vast experience could know the violin s limitations and possibilities so intimately. The partitas are a sequence of dance-inspired movements, usually alternating fast/slow/fast. A Gavotte is a lively dance in cut-time (alla breve) which begins on the half bar, often resulting in confusion to the listener s ear as to where the beat falls. The Gavotte, like most French dances, is in binary form, i.e. in 2 sections, each of which is repeated, thus, aabb. Here, however, only the first section is repeated, but returns four more times, each time following a couplet of contrasting music. The result is an overall form of AABACADAEA. Notes by Rebecca Laurito. George Tantchev Sr. (b. 1969) Intro and blues in 11 (pub. 2004) Duration: 3 minutes Intro and Blues in 11 is dedicated to my father s teacher Gordon Stout with whom he studied marimba and composition at Ithaca College as a graduate student. The piece is based on the Bulgarian rhythm Gankino Horo where the main 11/8 time signature is divided into a grouping of 2+2+3+2+2. The following review was written by Lisa Rogers in 2004 when the piece was originally published: This solo marimba work uses the blues form in metric contexts of 11/8, 5/8, and 7/8. The work is written for the advanced intermediate marimbist who needs to be proficient with the following stroke types at various intervallic distances: double vertical, single independent and single alternating. This piece will become a favorite of performers and listeners alike. (Lisa Rogers/Percussive Notes) Notes by George Tantchev. Marc Mellits (b. 1966) Black (2008) Duration: 6 minutes Black was originally composed for two amplified Bass Clarinets, and was written for the virtuoso duo, Sqwonk. The two musicians weave tightly woven patterns together, creating a fabric of music that has complete integration. In this integrated world, the musicians are equals and complete each other s every move. As the musical patterns develop, they also move and change, allowing fractions to spin off and push the momentum forward. It is five minutes of rapid firing notes combining and merging into one, black (w)hole. - Marc Mellits
program notes David Maslanka (b. 1943) Crown of Thorns Duration: 15 minutes David Maslanka was born in New Bedford, Massachusetts in 1943. He attended the Oberlin College Conservatory where he studied composition with Joseph Wood. He spent a year at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria, and did graduate work in composition at Michigan State University with H. Owen Reed. Maslanka s works for winds and percussion have become especially well known. They include among others, A Child s Garden of Dreams for Symphonic Wind Ensemble, Concerto for Piano, Winds and Percussion, the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th symphonies, a Mass for soloists, chorus, boys chorus, wind orchestra and organ, and the two Wind Quintets. Percussion works include Variations of Lost Love and My Lady White for solo marimba and three ensemble works: Arcadia II: Concerto for Marimba and Percussion Ensemble, Crown of Thorns, and Montana Music: Three Dances for Percussion. In addition, he has written a wide variety of chamber, orchestral, and choral pieces. The title, Crown of Thorns, is an obvious reference to Christ s Crown of Thorns, but the name first came as a possible title for a piece from seeing a plant called Crown of Thorns at the New York Botanical Gardens. This is a rambling, thorny desert plant from the Middle East, with small, green leaves, and small, very simple and pretty red flowers. The rambling, interweaving, vine-like stems suggested music to me. As I meditated on the words crown of thorns, and on the plant, and the idea of a work for keyboard percussion ensemble, the following image arose: A darkening sky Seven stars are visible: The seven-starred halo The golden light The hands of blessing The seven-starred halo is the crown of thorns transcended. It is the crown of highest spiritual power arrived at through the greatest depth of suffering. The imagery is Christian, but the experience transcends religion, and is universal. The music is at times sober and reflective, but is, for the most part, filled with the joy and energy of liberation. - David Maslanka
Personnel DePaul Percussion Ensemble Michael Kozakis, director Paul Brumleve Yulia Block Thomas Farnsworth Christian Hughes Matthew Kibort Norbert Kosinski Rebecca Laurito Mark Linley Christian Moreno Miyu Morita Sarah Christianson George Tantchev Leo Taylor Sarah Weddle Carley Yanuck Biography Michael Kozakis is an active percussionist and educator in the Chicago area. As a performer, Michael has played with many different groups including the Chicago Symphony, Lyric Opera Orchestra, Grant Park Symphony, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Chicago Chamber Musicians, Ars Viva, Chicago Philharmonic, Joffrey Ballet, Illinois Philharmonic, Elgin Symphony, Chicago Sinfonietta, and MusicNOW. He has played in the studio for many national TV/radio commercials and accompanied well-known personalities such as Sting, Il Divo, and Johnny Mathis. Michael held two one-year positions as a full-time percussionist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra from 2005-2007. As an educator, Michael is a certified K-12 teacher in Illinois and enjoys teaching all levels of students from Junior High through College. Michael serves on the percussion faculty of DePaul University and Carthage College and is a private teacher/drumline coach at two NW suburban high schools near his home. Michael is often giving master classes and adjudicating at local high schools, youth orchestras, and Days of Percussion. As a marimba concerto soloist, Michael has soloed with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Rockford Symphony. Michael received his Bachelor s Degree from the Eastman School of Music with a double major in Music Education and Performance and a Master s Degree in Performance from DePaul University.
Upcoming Events Saturday, May 20 4:00 p.m. Recital Hall Wind/Mixed Chamber Showcase Saturday, May 20 8:00 p.m. African Drum Ensemble Sunday, May 21 8:00 p.m. Brass Ensemble Monday, May 22 8:00 p.m. Composers Forum Monday, May 22 8:00 p.m. Recital Hall DePaul Jazz Combos Tuesday, May 23 8:00 p.m. Ensemble 20+ Wednesday, May 24 7:00 p.m. Symphony Center 220 S Michigan Avenue DePaul Symphony Orchestra Free, tickets required. Visit the Concert & Events page on music.depaul.edu for more information, or call 773.325.7260. Thursday, May 25 7:00 p.m. Recital Hall Opera Workshop Thursday, May 25 8:00 p.m. DePaul Student Center 2250 N. Sheffield Ave. DePaul Jazz Ensembles Thursday, May 25 8:00 p.m. String Chamber Showcase I
upcoming events Friday, May 26 8:00 p.m. DePaul Wind Ensemble Saturday, May 27 8:00 p.m. DePaul Concert Orchestra and Symphonic Choir Sunday, May 28 2:00 p.m. St. Vincent de Paul Parish 1010 W. Webster Ave. DePaul Concert Orchestra and Symphonic Choir Sunday, May 28 8:00 p.m. Baroque Ensemble Tuesday, May 30 7:00 p.m. Recital Hall Faculty Recital: Stephen Balderston, cello Wednesday, May 31 8:00 p.m. Recital Hall DePaul Jazz Combos Wednesday, May 31 8:00 p.m. String Chamber Showcase II As a courtesy to those around you, please silence all cell phones and other electronic devices. Flash photography is not permitted. Thank you. Sign up for Music @ DePaul E-Notes! Receive monthly updates in your inbox on performances taking place at the School of Music, as well as special offers and discounts to ticketed events! You can choose to unsubscribe from the list at any time. We have a strict privacy policy and will never sell or trade your email address. You can sign up for E-Notes by visiting music.depaul.edu and clicking on Concerts and Events. DePaul University School of Music 800 West Belden Avenue Chicago Recital Hall 804 West Belden Avenue Chicago music.depaul.edu 773.325.7260