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CONTEMPORARY "New Music in an Old Cathedral"
September 15,
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Echoes of Time
By Mark Alburger
The concert was billed as "New Music in an Old Cathedral" — UC Berkeley's Center for New Music and Audio Technology meets Grace Cathedral — but in terms of grand houses of worship, Grace Cathedral isn't that old. And most of the music on the program didn't sound particularly new. It bought into the rich
"avant-garde tradition" that goes back at least 50 years. But this was
all as it should have been: The not-so-new music and not-so-old cathedral proved a compelling combination and a fitting tribute to composer James Tenney (1934-2006).
The latter of the two-day event, which spanned September 14 and 15, was short on Tenney's music, but long in his influence. The concert opened with the composer's sole offering of the
evening, Koan for Violin, performed by David Abel. What is the sound of one
string player bowing? In this case, purposefully, not much. At first, Abel bowed almost soundlessly (despite the amplification), and somewhat in
the spirit of the initial music in Lukas Foss' Baroque Variations. From
there, however, the sound grew into rock-steady arpeggios — his left hand
slowly ascended the fingerboard in a deliciously leisured glissando, and a steady upper line contrasted with the subtly changing lower one. This
truly was a Zenlike puzzle for contemplation, fulfilling Steve Reich's
characterization of early minimalism as process music of gradual change.
Abel sustained
the music masterfully over the rise of the three lower strings, until perfect
consonance was achieved with the upper string, and a fade-out retrograded the
work to its start. There, as in virtually all the selections for this show,
limited compositional constructs and forces were strikingly set — highlighted by the use of judicious amplification, and the wonderful acoustics of this darkly resonant space.
As natural light outside the stained glass
windows faded (the concert began relatively early, at 7 p.m.), the atmosphere grew darkly theatrical, as well. That added to the dramatic concentration for Stanford composer John Chowning's gorgeous
Voices, performed by his wife, Maureen, a glorious soprano. While the interactive quality of the live electronics was more on the modern side, the actual sonic
sources were often traditional bell-like sounds. The interaction
between singer and electronics was fluid, and the overall effect
was delightful. But the deck was stacked in favor of Maureen Chowning, who cannot seem to open her mouth in performance without producing rapturous tones, as
proved both there and later in a joint improvisation.
New techniques, compelling improvisation
The awesome acoustic-electric cellist Frances-Marie Uitti was next up with three new works for her instruments of mass deconstruction. It was a pleasure to hear this talented performer, who has presented numerous
new works by others, at the compositional helm. Hers were among the newest sounding works of the evening. There was an electric cello that sounded like a plangent new-age erhu, a Chinese stringed instrument. At times on the acoustic cello, she used two bows, one in each hand for sections such as the rapid tremolos. More intriguing was her use of two bows in the same hand to produce overtones, a technique I had not previously experienced.
CNMAT Director David Wessel joined Smith to form a live electronics and trumpet
duo that covered the familiar ground of feverish improv, set against a ground of
sustained drones. The electronic sustains were put to even better use in a final
joint improv. This seemed to include nearly all the performers from both days. (In the dimly lit cathedral, with the players intentionally obscured by columns and the lack of program information, it was
difficult to determine.) Among those I could see there were Abel, Chowning, Smith, Léandre,
Uitti, Wessel, Earl Howard, and Thomas Buckner.
Rather
than one of those "new music improv blitzes" where everyone goes wild, this was a surprisingly reverential affair — somewhat along the lines of one of
Pauline Oliveros' sonic meditations. It was sustained yet spare, with performers processing George Crumblike from
various points. Now you see and hear them, now you don't. I was struck by the close connection between composition and improvisation, and how
expert new-music performers and composers are in realizing each other's intentions. Sounds this fine raise a reverent, sustained hallelujah.
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John Chowning
Joëlle Léandre
Ishmael Wadada Leo Smith
Frances-Marie Uitti
