News from G. Schirmer, Associated Music Publishers,and the Music Sales Group

June 2008

Summer’08David Lang2008 Pulitzer PrizeG. Schirmer and the Music Sales Group congratulate David Lang for winning the2008 Pulitzer Prize in Music. His win-ning score, The Little Match GirlPassion, a 35-minute work for a quartetof singers each playing percussioninstruments, was co-commissioned bythe Carnegie Hall Corporation and ThePerth Theater and Concert Hall. It waspremiered by Paul Hillier and theTheatre of Voices on 25 October, 2007at Carnegie Hall.

Lang was drawn to Hans ChristianAndersen’s tale of the Little Match Girlbecause of its religious subtext — hesaw a parallel to the Passion of Christ inthe story: a girl, whose “poverty is suf-fused with hopefulness,” is ignored bypassersby oblivious both to herattempts to sell matchsticks and to hersuffering as she ultimately freezes todeath in their presence. To Lang,Andersen draws a “religious and moralequivalency between the suffering ofthe poor girl and the suffering of Jesus.”

For Lang and other Jewish classicalmusicians, the Western vocal traditionof Christian music presents a dilemmathey must confront. In The Little MatchGirl Passion, Lang hoped he could turnthat dilemma to his advantage. Usingthe format of J.S. Bach’s St. MatthewPassion, Lang combined the Andersentale with his own text and text from boththe Book of Matthew and Bach’sPassion — replacing the story of Jesuswith that of the Match Girl.

In his notes on the work, Langexplains, “There is no Bach in my pieceand there is no Jesus — rather the suf-fering of the Little Match Girl has beensubstituted for Jesus’, elevating (I hope)her sorrow to a higher plane.”

The Little Match Girl Passion will be per-formed by Paul Hillier and the Theatreof Voices on 28 October in Copenhagen.On 20 November the National ChamberChoir of Ireland gives the world pre-miere of a new version for full chorus. In2009, Harmonia Mundi releases theTheatre of Voices premiere recording. PHOTO: PETER SERLINGDavid Lang

“With all due respect to the hundreds of distinguished pieces I’velistened to as a Pulitzer juror, I don’t think I’ve ever been so movedby a new, and largely unheralded composition as I was by DavidLang’s Little Match Girl Passion, which is unlike any music I know.”

—Tim Page, Pulitzer Juror; excerpted from npr.orgDavid LangThe Little Match Girl Passion 35'SATB playing percussion

R E D I S C O V E R I E S

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8 Carter, Harbison, Lieberson,Sheng, Tower, and more!Summer Music FestivalsThe joys of summer can usually allay the dreary months of the year. Throughthose months we dream that no matterhow hot the weather gets at least wecan laze-around in shorts, swat insects,drink cool lemonade...and go to sum-mer music festivals!Spoleto Festival USA23 May – 8 Junespoletousa.org

Founded in 1977 by Gian CarloMenotti, this festival was an extensionto the festival in Spoleto, Italy he found-ed in 1958. This year’s USA festival fea-tures Anthony Davis’s opera Amistad,newly revised for the festival (see cap-tion on next page). Also on the calendarthis summer is Aaron Jay Kernis’s NewEra Dance and Kaaija Saariaho’s SixJapanese Gardens.Bang On A Can Marathon31 May – 1 Junebangonacan.org

“Imagine Lollapalooza advised by theghost of John Cage.” This descriptionsums up the spirit of the 21-year-oldnew music marathon in New York City.This year’s marathon-concert includesworks by its founders (Michael Gordon,David Lang, and Julia Wolfe) as well asthe world premiere of Convex-Concave-Concord by Pelle Gudmundsen-Holmgreen, commissioned by Bang OnA Can for the All-Stars.

Aspen Music Festival and School19 June – 17 Augustaspenmusicfestival.com

Each summer since 1949 the moun-tains of Colorado have reverberatedwith classical music. This summer theAMFS presents their world premierecommission by John Harbison, TheGreat Gatsby Suite, a new work fororchestra culled from his opera of thesame name; the Emerson StringQuartet performs both Carl Nielsen’s Atthe Bier of a Young Artist and BrightSheng’s String Quartet No. 5, “TheMiraculous”; the Aspen ContemporaryEnsemble performs Henry Cowell’s Setof Five. Finally, the Aspen ChamberSymphony performs Peter Lieberson’sNeruda Songs, with mezzo-soprano,Kelley O’Connor. Tanglewood23 June – 24 Augusttanglewood.orgcarter100.com

As a special tribute to Elliott Carter,in celebration of his spectacular 100thyear, Tanglewood’s Festival ofContemporary Music presents four daysof concerts highlighting his distin-guished musical life. Also atTanglewood: the Boston Symphony per-forms two works by John Harbison, hisWind Quintet and his Symphony No. 5,which the BSO premiered on 17 April;the Orchestra of St. Luke’s performsJoan Tower’s In Memory and theKronos Quartet performs MichaelGordon’s Potassium. Ruhr Klavier Festival (Germany)10 – 12 Julyklavierfestival.de

On the occasion of their 20thanniversary, this renowned

festival in Essen,Germany hears theEuropean premiere ofTan Dun’s PianoConcerto: The Fire, fea-

turing pianist Lang Lang, and FourSecret Roads of Marco Polo for 12 celliand orchestra. Pianist Margaret LengTan performs Tan Dun’s Concerto forPizzicato Piano and Ten Instruments,Eight Memories in Watercolor andTraces.Bang on A Can Summer MusicFestival8 - 27 Julybangonacan.org

Nestled in a quaint BerkshireMountain valley at the contemporary artmuseum, MassMOCA, this seven year-old music festival brings young com-posers and performers together for twointensive weeks of collaboration andcomraderie where they work alongsidea leading composer (Terry Riley thisyear) and The Bang On A Can All-Stars.The culminating concert for 2008 fea-tures the joint-composition, Shelter, bythe festival’s founders Michael Gordon,David Lang, and Julia Wolfe. Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival(Germany)12 July – 31 Augustshmf.de

Austria’s percussion-wunderkind,Martin Grubinger, presents an entireconcert of drumming madness at thisprominent German countryside festival,including Avner Dorman’s Frozen inTime which he premiered in December2007. John Axelrod conducts the NDRRadiophilharmonie.BBC Proms (UK)18 July – 12 Septemberbbc.co.uk/proms/2008/

This 114-year-old festival has beenmaking music only a few years longerthan Elliott Carter, whose NightFantasies will be performed as a cele-bration of his centenary. Also on theFestival’s program is a BBC Proms com-mission by Simon Holt, a work fororchestra called Troubled Light basedon Goethe’s theories of the psychologi-cal effects of color.

BARD MUSIC FESTIVAL

Over three weekends from Augustthrough October, the nineteenth annualBard Music Festival presents SergeiProkofiev and his world. Founded in 1990, each year the festival exploresa single composer’s life and work through lectures, concerts, panel discussions, and films.

Please visit www.bard.edu/bmf for complete listings.

Portrait of Sergei Prokofiev by his son, Oleg Prokofiev, 1951Used by permission: Frances Prokofiev

Kaija Saariaho won the2008 Michael LudwigNemmers Prize in MusicComposition fromNorthwestern University,a biennial award honor-ing classical music com-

posers of outstand-ing achievement.

Great Mountains Music Festival(South Korea) 8 August – 18 Augustgmmfs.com

Jay Greenberg’s work for doublestring quartet, Four Scenes, receives itsworld premiere by the Sejong Soloists atthis pre-eminent festival in theDaegwallyeong or Great Mountainregion of South Korea.

Avner DormanEllef Symphony US PremiereOn 6 June, the Indianapolis Symphonypresents the US premiere of AvnerDorman's Ellef Symphony with conduc-tor Asher Fisch. The piece is written infour parts — the first three parts areinspired by Jewish poetry of the secondmillennium (1000-2000), each con-cerned with a different aspect of war.The fourth movement represents thethird millennium and the composer’saspirations that the poetry of the thirdmillennium will not have to deal withwars. The movements are based onworks by Shmuel ha-Nagid (993-1056),Haim Nachman Bialik (1873-1934)Israel’s National Poet, and the youngIsraeli poet Yuval Rappaport (b. 1975).

Kaija SaariahoA Saariaho SummerKaija Saariaho has seen a lot of attention this year, from being MusicalAmerica’s Composer of the Year to win-ning the Nemmer’s Prize (see captionbelow). This summer her music is heardacross the country, from the Santa FeOpera to the Mostly Mozart Festival atLincoln Center.

Saariaho’s opera, Adriana Mater,commissioned by both the Finnish andParis National Operas, receives its USpremiere at the Santa Fe Opera on 26

Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival20 July – 25 Augustsantafechambermusic.orgMusic from Angel Fire15 August – 1 Septembermusicfromangelfire.org

These two established New Mexicofestivals (36 and 25 years respectively)are featuring works by Joan Tower.Music from Angel Fire has engagedTower as the 2008 Composer-In-Residence and commissioned a stringquartet, Angels, to be performed by theMiami String Quartet. SFCMF presentsTower’s A Little Gift. Jointly commis-sioned with the La Jolla Summerfest (la-jolla-music-society.com), the SFCMFpresents a new trio by Kaija Saariaho,Serenatas, for the Real Quiet Trio.Lastly, at the SFCMF, cellist AnssiKarttunen performs Saariaho’s SeptPapillons. Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music27 July – 10 Augustcabrillomusic.org

Since its founding in 1961, present-ing music and theatre at a local coffeehouse (the Sticky Wickett), the CFCMhas been a consistent voice in program-ming new and adventurous music. Atthis summer’s festival, CFCM is present-ing John Corigliano’s Mannheim Rocketand Conjurer for percussion soloist andstring orchestra (Evelyn Glennie, percus-sion) and Avner Dorman’s VariationsWithout a Theme. Marin Alsop leads theCabrillo Festival Orchestra.Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival(Finland)13 – 26 Julykuhmofestival.fi

The Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival,the first of its kind in Finland, has pre-sented thousands of internationalchamber works since 1970 in this smalltown 600km north of Helsinki. This yearthe Brentano String Quartet performsGabriela Lena Frank’s Quijotadas.

Kaija SaariahoAdriana Mater2hrMezzo-soprano,Soprano, Tenor,Bass-baritone;SATB; 3332/4431/5perc/hp.pf(cel)/str

La Passion deSimone1hr 15minSoprano; SATB;3222/4221/4perc/hp.cel/str

July. The acclaimed production premieredin 2006, and directed by Peter Sellars,was hailed by the New York Times as a“work on an emotional scale only occa-sionally heard in contemporary opera.” InSanta Fe, the original production seesSpanish conductor Ernest MartinezIzquierdo in his American debut. The titlerole of Adriana is sung by mezzo-sopranoMonica Groop, who is joined by sopranoPia Freund, tenor Joseph Kaiser, andbass-baritone Matthew Best. The opera,

with libretto by Lebanese author AminMaalouf, is set during a time of modernwar and pits Adriana, her son, and theboy’s soldier-father in a tangled drama:the soldier has raped Adriana, who keepsthe child; as the boy matures, Adriana isburdened with her son’s potentially violentnature; however, his fate is tested whenhe is faced with the opportunity to seekrevenge on his father.

Saariaho’s latest staged work, her ora-torio La Passion de Simone, commis-sioned by a consortium of internationalorganizations including Lincoln Center,receives its US premiere at the MostlyMozart Festival at Lincoln Center, whereSaariaho has been named 2008Composer-In-Residence. The work forsoprano, chorus, and orchestra is a thirdcollaboration between Peter Sellars, AminMaalouf, and Saariaho, and is based onthe life and writings of the French moralphilosopher and social activist SimoneWeil. Saariaho comments, “the combina-tion of Weil’s severe asceticism and herpassionate quest for truth has appealedto me ever since I first read her thoughts.”The oratorio takes the form of a medievalPassion play, with its 15 “stations” repre-senting key moments in Weil’s life. Weildied in 1943, starving to death because �

La Amistad, a Spanish schooner, was host to a rebellion in1839 by African captives during a voyage from Havana to

Puerto Principe, a Cuban coastal town. The 53 Africans tookcontrol of the ship and eventually landed on the eastern tip of

Long Island, NY. Their journey would take them all the way tothe Supreme Court, which ultimately ruled for their freedom.

They returned to Africa in 1841.

Amistad America (a replica of the 19th-century schooner)sails to Charleston, SC to partake in the 200th anniversary of

the abolition of the Atlantic Slave Trade. Amistad, the operaby Anthony Davis, leads the anniversary events in a new,

revised version with reduced orchestration at the Spoleto Festival 23 May - 8 June.

“A work on an emotional scale onlyoccasionally heard in contemporaryopera.”

Amistad America PHOTO: WOJTEK WACOWSKI

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Avner DormanEllef Symphony 19'3(pic).2+ca.2+bcl.sx.2+cbn/4331/timp.5perc/hp.pf/str

she refused to eat more than her coun-trymen suffering in Nazi occupiedFrance. This performance featuressoprano Dawn Upshaw for whom therole was created.

The Mostly Mozart Festival also fea-tures Saariaho’s stunning cello concer-to, Notes on Light, performed by cellistAnssi Karttunen and the City ofBirmingham Symphony Orchestra,Susanna Mälkki, conductor. As well, theFestival presents Saariaho’s Preludesfor piano and Ballade for piano (Tuija

Hakkila, piano), Sept Papillon,for cello (Anssi Karttunen,cello), Serenatas, and TerraMemoria (Emerson Quartet).

Rued Langgaard (1893-1952)Music of the Spheres"The celestial and earthly chaotic music from red glow-ing chords with which lifeplays with claws of beast ofprey — with an iris-crownround its marble-face with its

stereotypic — yet living — demoniac andlily-like smile."

This surreal description is Danish com-poser Rued Langgaard’s inscription inthe score to his visionary 1919 work,Sfærernes Musik (Music of theSpheres) — one of the few works pub-lished in his lifetime. Music of theSpheres was premiered in Germany in1921 and performed again in 1922, butwas then entirely forgotten (or possiblyignored).

On 1 June, Music of the Spheresreceives its US premiere at Avery Fisher

Hall in New York City by the AmericanSymphony Orchestra, Leon Botsteinconducting.

Langgaard, a prodigious composer ofover 400 compositions (he was 11years old when his first work was pre-miered), was extremely critical of theDanish musical vanguard, led at thattime by Carl Nielsen. This isolationdrove his music to obscurity. A rediscov-ery of Langgaard came in 1968 whencomposer György Ligeti, who was adju-dicating new scores by Scandinaviancomposers, began reading the score toMusic of the Spheres, which had beensecretly included by composer PerNørgård. Ligeti was astonished thatmany of the techniques he had beenemploying in his own music had in factbeen foreshadowed by Langgaard a halfcentury earlier.

Listening to the work today, onenotices a surprising likeness to post-modern music: repetition, timbral ges-tures, spatial effects, subtle tonal sur-faces, and static rhythms. Langgaarddescribed his intentions, saying “InMusic of the Spheres, I have completelygiven up everything one understands by

themes, consistency, form, and continu-ity. It is music veiled in black andimpenetrable by mists of death.”

Hans Werner HenzePhaedraCo-commissioned and co-produced by Staatsoper Unter den Linden Berlin,Berliner Festspiele, Théâtre de laMonnaie Brussels, Alte Oper Frankfurtand Wiener Festwochen, Hans WernerHenze’s 2007 opera is continuing itstravels this summer with concerts inFlorence, Italy (5 June) and Frankfurt,Germany (10 June). Written during aperiod of severe illness, this new “over-whelmingly powerful” work was pre-miered in Berlin in September 2007 torave-reviews. This Konzertoper, withlibretto by Christian Lehnert and setdesign by Olafur Eliasson, can be per-formed semi-staged or as a full-stagedproduction. Based on the Greek myth,Henze’s retelling stretches far beyondthe myth’s traditional tragedy, creatinga work in which the relationshipbetween humans and gods are newlydefined.

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Rued LanggaardSfærernes Musik36'SATB; Mezzo-soprano;4333/8331/3perc/hp.pf.org/str; distant orchestra:2120/1000/timp/hp/str(21111)

Hans Werner HenzePhaedra 1 Hour, 20 Minutes2(pic:afl;pic).2(ca).2(ssx,asx,bcl:asx,bcl,cbcl).2(cbn)/2(2Wtba).2.2(atbn,btbn)/2perc/ce.hp.pf/str(1.0.1.1.1)/tp

(Re)View: Music For Prague, 1968 40th AnniversaryListening to news on his transistor radioin 1968 on a late-August day in Ithaca,New York, Czech-native Karel Husaheard devastating news: Soviet troopshad invaded Czechoslovakia, crushingthe political liberalizations (“The PragueSpring”) of Alexander Dubček, the newCzech leader. Since leaving Czecho-slovakia shortly after World War II,Husa’s love had not diminished for hishomeland even though his citizenshiphad been revoked. He understood thedire consequences of this new Soviet-crackdown. Husa immediately wrote his

elegy for freedom — Music For Prague,1968. Since its premiere in 1969 forband, the work — reorchestrated in1971 for premieres with the MunichPhilharmonic, BBC Symphony and oth-ers — has had innumerable performanc-es with major orchestras and bandsacross the globe. The potency of MusicFor Prague, 1968 remains today; itsmessage stands as a reminder thathumanity overcomes adversity.

Karel Husa on the streets of his native Prague

PHOTO: CORNELL UNIVERSITY

Karel HusaMusic for Prague, 1968 (for orchestra) 19'3333/4431/timp.4perc/hp.pf/str

A scene from Phaedra by Hans Werner Henze

PHOTO: STAATSOPER - BERLIN

Ernst BaconFord’s Theatre 29'2.2(ca)3.3/4331/perc/cel.hp/str

Abraham Lincoln

Ernst Bacon (1898 - 1990) originally wroteFord's Theatre as incidental music to a playabout Abraham Lincoln’s assassination. On 2July, Leonard Slatkin conducts the NashvilleSymphony in a performance of this patrioticwork as part of a Lincoln bicentennial program.Slatkin will record the work with the NashvilleSymphony on a NAXOS Lincoln bicentennial CDto be released in February 2009.

PHOTO: ALEXANDER GARDNER

Premieres

Summ

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August

July

JuneJune 1 Henze (CH) � PhaedraEnsemble Modern/Michael Boder,Vienna, Austria

June 1 Langgaard (WH) � The Music of theSpheres (SfærenesMusik)Caroline Betty, soprano American SymphonyOrchestra/Leon BotsteinNew York City

June 2 Nørgård (WH) � Clubs Among Jokers Tomas Krakowski, guitar Sarajevo, Bosnia andHerzegovina

Asian Tour Tower (AMP) Chamber DanceOrpheus ChamberOrchestra June 2 � Busan, Korea June 7 � Matsumoto, Japan

Aspen Music Festival June 22 Harbison (AMP) � The Great GatsbySuiteFestival Orchestra/David Zinman Aspen, CO

Festival St. Denis June 26 Armstrong (CH) � Memory Takes MyHand� One Minute� Visconti� ImmerOrchestre d’Ile-de-France Clio Gould, violinAnn de Renais, sopranoGary Walker, conductorParis, France

American Guild ofOrganists Convention June 26 Kernis (AJK) � The Love of GodAmerican Guild ofOrganists Convention St. Paul, MN

June 13 Stookey (AMP) � The Composer isDeadAdelaide SymphonyOrchestra Arvo VolmerAdelaide, Australia

Shared Sounds June 14 Sørensen (WH) � Looking on DarknessFrode Haltli, accordion Berlin, Germany

June 17 Schurmann (CH) � Autumn LeavesPeter SheppardSkaerved, violin; AaronShorr, pianoLondon, UK

Holland Festival June 20 Gordon (RP) � POPOPERAIckAmsterdam DanceAmsterdam, TheNetherlands

June 7 Wallin (CH) � Strange News(ensemble version)BirminghamContemporary MusicGroup

June 7 Frank (GS) � La Llorona: TonePoem for Viola andOrchestraPaul Silverthorne, viola The New Professionals/Rebecca MillerLondon, UK

June 12 Bainbridge (NOV) � Music SpaceReflectionContact ContemporaryMusic Royal Ontario Museum,Toronto, Canada

June 12 Glass (DUN) � Waiting for theBarbariansOrchestra and Chorus ofthe Erfurt Theatre/Dennis Russell DaviesLondon, UK

June 4 Marthinsen (WH) � Burning Fiery FurnaceUsedom Music FestivalYouth Orchestra/Kristjan Järvi Riga, Latvia

June 5 Henze (CH) � PhaedraMichael Kerstan, stagedirector Maggio MusicaleFiorentino/Roberto AbbadoFlorence, Italy

June 6 Dorman (GS) � Ellef SymphonyIndianapolis SymphonyOrchestra/Asher FischIndianapolis, IN

Integra Festival 2008 Birmingham, UK June 6 Hellstenius (WH) � Hi - Ophelia!BIT20 Ensemble Rosing-Schow (WH) � Voix InterieuresAthelas SinfoniettaCopenhagen

� World premiere� National premiere� New York City

premiere

Risør Chamber MusicFestival June 28 Sørensen (WH) � Schattenlinie Leif Ove Andsnes, piano;Lars Anders Tomter, viola; Frederik Fors, clarinet Risør, Norway

June 29 Koppel (WH) � ParadeKgl LivgardesMusikkorps/Henrik VagnChristensenCopenhagen, Denmark

Key to abbreviations:AJK AJK Music

AMP AssociatedMusic Publishers

CH Chester MusicDUN DunvagenGS G. Schirmer

GS/LPP G. SchirmerLost Penny

PublicationsGSR G. Schirmer

RussianNOV Novello

RP Red Poppy SIK Sikorski

WH Wilhelm Hansen

July 3 Tavener (CH) � The Eternal SunRiga Youth ChoirRiga, Latvia

European Tour Corigliano (GS) Circus Maximus:Symphony No. 3University of Texas atAustin Wind Ensemble/Jerry Junkin July 9 � Interlaken,Switzerland July 12 � Schladming, Austria July 13 � London, UK July 17 � Barcelona, Spain

CantiereInternazionale d’Arte July 22 Nyman (CH) � Love Always CountsSentieri SelvaggiMontepulciano, Italy

Chester MusicFestival July 25 Harle (CH) � EarthlightRoyal LiverpoolPhilharmonic OrchestraChester Festival Chorus Chester, UK

BBC Proms 2008 July 25 Holt (CH) � Troubled LightBBC National Orchestraof Wales/Thierry FischerLondon, UK

Percussion NightJuly 18 Dorman (GS) � Spices, Perfumes,Toxins!PercaDu Thailand PhilharmonicOrchestra/Gudni A.EmilssonNakhon Pathom,Thailand

World ChoralSymposium 2008 July 19 Tavener (CH) � The Eternal SunRiga Youth Choir Copenhagen, Denmark

FrederiksværkFestival July 21 Koppel (WH) � DuoChristina Åstrand, violin,Per Salo, piano Frederiksværk, Denmark

Kuhmo ChamberMusic Festival July 15 Frank (GS) � QuijotadasBrentano String Quartet Kuhmo Finland

New Hampshire MusicFestival July 17 Kancheli (GSR) � Stilles Gebet (SilentPrayer)Gidon Kremer, violin;Giedre Dirvanauskaite,cello Festival Orchestra/Paul PolivnickCenter Harbor, NH

Ryedale Festival July 18 Bennett (NOV) � SerenadesBBC Singers/Stephen Cleobury York, UK

Ruhr Klavier FestivalJuly 10Tan Dun (GS) � Piano Concerto: TheFireWDR Sinfonieorchester Lang Lang, pianoTan Dun, conductorCologne, Germany

CarinthischerSommer Festival July 11 Tavener (CH) � Mary of Egypt, newversionOssiach, Austria

CheltenhamInternational Festival July 13 Davies(CH) � Piano QuartetPrimrose Piano Quartet Cheltenham, UK

July 26 Saariaho (CH) � Adriana MaterPeter Sellars, stagedirector Santa Fe Opera/Ernest Matinez-IzquierdoSanta Fe, NM

July 30 Tan Dun (GS) � Tea: A Mirror of SoulChiang Ching, stagedirectorNational Grand Theater/Tan DunBeijing, China

July 30 Adamo (GS) � Little Women International Vocal ArtsInstitute/Brian deMarisTel Aviv, Israel

Three Choirs Festival August 3 Abrahamsen (WH) � AirWorcester CathedralChoir/Adrian Lucas Worcester, UK

Santa Fe ChamberMusic Festival August 6 Saariaho (CH) � SerenatasReal Quiet Trio Santa Fe, NM

Great MountainsMusic Festival August 10 Greenberg (GS/LPP) � Four ScenesSejong Soloists South Korea

Oslo Chamber MusicFestival August 18 Nørgård (WH) � Helle NachtOslo Sinfonietta David Coucheron, violin Oslo, Norway

August 18 Salonen (CH) � LA VariationsOrquesta SinfónicaSimón Bolívar/Esa-Pekka SalonenCaracas, Venezuela

Schubertiade August 14 Gudmundsen-Holmgreen (WH) � Moments Musicaux Trio con Brio Roskilde, Denmark

National FluteAssociation August 14 Kancheli (GSR) � Ninna NannaSanta Clarita, CA

August 14 � Notes on LightAnssi Karttunen, cello City of BirminghamSymphony Orchestra/Susanna Mälkki August 15 � SerenatasAnssi Karttunen,cello;Tuija Hakkila, piano;David Cossin, percus-sion � PreludeTuija Hakkila, piano New York City

BBC Proms 2008 August 10 MacRae (CH) � GaudeteBBC SymphonyOrchestra/Edward GardnerLondon, UK

Mostly MozartFestival Saariaho (CH) August 13 � La Passion deSimoneDawn Upshaw, sopranoCity of BirminghamSymphonyOrchestra/SusannaMälkki

Suså Festival 2008 August 30 Olesen (WH)� StralsundHélène Navasse, flute Vetterslev, Denmark

Music from Angel Fire August 31 Tower (AMP) � Angels (String QuartetNo. 4)Miami String Quartet Angel Fire, NM

Sum

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8Performances

Gabriela Lena FrankNew Andean SongsLos Angeles Philharmonic New Music GroupGreen Umbrella Series25 March, 2008; Los Angeles, CAThe performance was beautiful.Soprano (Tony Arnold) and mezzo-sopra-no (Rachel Calloway) were like a singlevoice entwined in the text. Pianos andpercussion, combining elements ofsonic fire and ice, never ceased to daz-zle. Passion emerged from subtlesounds, and Carneiro conducted alertto quietness and extravagance. Witheach new piece, Frank becomes a moreexciting and necessary voice. Mark Kanny, Los Angeles Times

Phillip GlassSatyagrahaMetropolitan Opera11 April, 2008; New York, NYThe staging makes inventive use of fan-ciful imagery, aerialists, gargantuanpuppets and theatrical spectacle toconvey the essence of a self-conscious-ly spiritual work...Satyagraha emergeshere as a work of nobility, seriousness,even purity. In the final soliloquy, time-less and blithely simple, Gandhi haunt-ingly sings an ascending scale patternin the Phrygian mode 30 times. Tosome degree the ovation at the end,after a 3-hour-45-minute evening, wasnecessary. The audience had to letloose after all that contemplation. Anthony Tommasini, New York Times

John HarbisonSymphony No. 5Boston Symphony17 April, 2008; Boston, MAThe vocal writing is sensitive and com-pelling across all four movements, andHarbison's orchestra, spiked with anelectric guitar (played by composerMichael Gandolfi), is lean and concise,full of imaginative sounds and percus-sion effects, but most of all, extremelyresponsive to the imagery suggested bythe poetry at hand. When Milosz'sOrpheus descends into a surreal under-world of endless corridors and eleva-tors, the orchestra descends with him;when Eurydice begins her journey back,we hear a haunting passage full of dis-sociated, zombie-like string writing. Theother movements show a similarly keenresponsiveness to text, especially asrendered by last night's fine soloists,Nathan Gunn and Kate Lindsey. Anthony Tommasini, New York Times

Gabriela Lena FrankNew Andean Songs 21'Soprano Mezzo-soprano/2perc/2pf

Philip Glass Satyagraha 3 hours2 Sopranos, 2 Mezzo-sopranos, 2 Tenors,Baritone, 2 Basses; SATB (large chorus);3(pic).3.3(bcl).2/0.0.0.0/eorg/str

John HarbisonSymphony No. 5 30'Mezzo-soprano + Baritone;3(pic).3(ca).3(Ebcl,bcl).2+cbn/4.2.2.1/timp.3perc/pf.hp/egtr/str

Lee HoibyThe TempestPurchase Opera28 April, 2008; Symphony Space; New York, NYWhen Mr. Hoiby starts out, his musicsmells of the sea, and the strangeevents to come. It is full of anticipationand promise. As the opera continues, itis by turns sprightly, heroic, gracious,coarse. In other words, it conforms tothe drama unfolding. The score may putyou in mind of Debussy and Britten,among others. I thought of Debussy's"Nocturnes," and two operas of Britten:"Peter Grimes" and "A MidsummerNight's Dream." But mainly the score isHoibyesque. And it ends with a stirringensemble — 10 soloists, plus chorus.Jay Nordlinger, New York Sun

Aaron Jay KernisBallad(e) out of the Blues -Superstar Etude #3Mihaela Ursuleasa, piano4 May, 2008; St. Paul, MNInvoking Gershwin in its openingmoments, the piece, which honors thememory of Kernis' late father, is one ofhis characteristically complex negotia-tions with the musical past -- a continu-ously absorbing "battle with history," asthe composer put it in a pre-concerttalk. Allusions to classic jazz, gospeland ballad singing mingle in the fluidmusical texture. Far from outrunning itsmaterials, the 10-minute piece couldeasily have been longer.Larry Fuchsberg, Star-Tribune

Kirke MechemJohn BrownLyric Opera of Kansas City3 May, 2008; Kansas City, KSMechem’s musical language isapproachable yet complex...The opera’schief strength is the composer’s skill formarrying musical and dramaturgicaldesign. It’s the sort of opera that couldeasily become an iconic American clas-sic, worthy to stand beside accessibleAmerican favorites...but possessing itsown unique visceral energy. Paul Horsley, Kansas City Star

Tan DunPiano ConcertoNew York PhilharmonicLang Lang, piano9 April, 2008; New York, NY[In Martial Arts] a stance of physicalstillness can convey tension and quick-ness, and bursts of action can seemcool and deliberate. Tan Dun tries tocapture this duality in music that veersfrom passages of stillness to explosionsof energy. Each of the three movementsis broken up with episodic sections. Thepiece begins with a low, softly ominousrumbling trill in the piano, over whichthe orchestra floats pungent, deceptive-ly calm chords that blithely slink fromharmony to harmony. Soon the percus-sion section, alive with pummelingdrum riffs, intrudes, prodding thepianist into bouts of fidgety chords andspiraling runs. Anthony Tommasini, New York Times

Joan TowerDumbarton QuintetEnso String Quartet, Joan Tower, piano12 April, 2008; Washington, DCIn short contrasting sections of reflec-tion and exuberance, the quintet (in one14-minute movement) moves inexorablytoward heightened tension as its quietmoments become more active andencompass an increasingly expandedscale...The performance was assuredand nuanced. Tower and the Ensoensemble collaborated closely on thispiece, and their common understandingwas gratifyingly evident.Joan Reinthaler, Washington Post

Lee HoibyThe Tempest 2h, 30 minLibretto, Mark Shulgasser coloratura Soprano, 2 Sopranos, Mezzo-soprano, Countertenor, 2 Tenors, 4Baritones, Bass-baritone, 2 BassesSATB chorus2222/4221/timp.perc/hp.pf/str

Aaron Jay KernisBallad(e) out of the Blues - Superstar Etude #3 10'piano solo

Kirke MechemJohn Brown 2 hoursBaritone, 3 Tenors, Soprano, 3 BassBaritones, 2 Basses, Mezzo-soprano;chorus;3333/4331/timp.4perc/hp.cel/strr

Tan DunPiano Concerto 30'piano;2+pic.2.2.2/4.3.3.1/timp.4perc/hp/str

Joan TowerDumbarton Quintet 14'2vn, va, vc, pf

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The Tempest

New In PrintRecordings

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The G. Schirmer Collection ofAmerican Art Songfor Medium/Low VoiceED 4322HL 5048569$24.95

The G. Schirmer Collection ofAmerican Art Songfor High VoiceED 4321HL 5048568$24.95

Karel Husa: CONCERTO FORWIND ENSEMBLE(Full set)HL50486548US $150.00

Augusta Read Thomas: RUSHfor solo violinHL 50486564US $4.95

Joan Tower: ISLAND PRELUDEfor oboe and string quartet(with optional contrabass)HL 50486404US $35.00

The surround sound on this release isstunning, and the Royal Philharmonicand its conductor, the young SarahIoannides, provide energetic and raptaccompaniment, if that is even theword for these complex works. LaraSt. John plays as she usually does, noone finer in my experience...Highest recommendation!Steven Ritter, Audiophile Audition,audaud.com

BMOP's lively performance does thisravishing work justice; factor in excel-lent sound, attractive packaging, andfine essays by the composer andRichard Dyer, and the result is self-recommending.Steve Smith, TimeOut New York

Kernis is an extraordinary melodistand a master of lush, delicatelyRomantic harmonies, and when hesets out to seduce a listener, there'sno resisting him — especially withsoprano Susan Narucki's lustroustones to seal the deal.Joshua Kosman, San FranciscoChronicle

Don’t let the fact that this is a youngperson’s chorus turn you off to thisremarkable recital....ConductorFrancisco J. Nuñez has done anamazing job with the 61-memberensemble, and this disc is so far oneof my top picks of the year.Steven Ritter, Audiophile Audition,audaud.com

John CoriglianoSuite from the Red ViolinLara St. John, violinRoyal Philharmonic OrchestraSarah Ioannides, conductorAncalagon; ANC 133

John HarbisonUlyssesBoston Modern Orchestra ProjectGil Rose, conductorBMOP/sound 1001

Aaron Jay KernisSimple SongsSusan Narucki, sopranoKoch International Classics; KIC CD 7667

Michael Nyman, Bright Sheng, Judith WeirTransient Glory llYoung People’s Chorus of New York CityFrancisco Nuñez, conductorVital Records; VR 2017

Summer 2008News from G.Schirmer, Associated Music Publishers, and the Music Sales Group

G. Schirmer, Inc.257 Park Avenue South 20th FloorNew York, NY 10010 USATelephone 212 254 2100Fax 212 254 2013

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Joan TowerAngels 12'

String Quartet No. 42vn, va, vc

Commissioned by and dedicated to Music from Angel Fire,

with the support of The Bruce E. Howden, Jr.

American Composers Project.

To be premiered 15 AugustMusic from Angel Fire

Angel Fire, New MexicoMiami String Quartet

Pre-sorted1st Class

US PostagePAID

Permit #247Pittston, PA