Sequenza21/The Contemporary Classical Music Weekly

One of Sequenza21's Own Does Music Proud

There are twenty cool people in New York. I just counted them. (Though Martin Bresnick left after intermission, so I�m not sure he counts.) Anyway, these twenty were the folks at the Brian Sacawa concert tonight at Miller Theater. The fifteen million other New Yorkers out there missed out on a good time. Get with the program, you guys!

And what a program it was: Lee Hyla, Chris Theofanidis, Alvin Lucier, Bresnick, Philip Glass, Charles Wuorinen, Derek Hurst, and Michael Gordon � all on one show. If there�s another contemporary music concert happening in New York this year with the stylistic breadth of Sacawa�s, someone send me an e-mail right now. Furthermore, Sacawa�s playing was consistently intense and energetic. On a program that called for multiphonics, key-popping, coordination with spatialized electronics, singing while playing, and all varieties of tonguing, Sacawa kept his poise and turned in a terrific performance.

Hyla�s frenetic, contrapuntal "Pre-Amnesia" opened the program. The piece was so interesting, I wish it had lasted longer. Instead, after less than two minutes, Sacawa segued from it attacca into Theofanidis�s "Netherland." "Netherland," for alto sax and piano, had beautiful moments (the C major felt nice after the Hyla), but it failed to make good on all its ideas. The second movement descended to bombast and flight-of-the-bumblebee passage-work. The sound of an amplified electric lamp opened (and dominated) Lucier�s "Spira Mirabilis," which was too avant for my garde. But things improved with Bresnick�s huge "Tent of Miracles." Written for baritone saxophone and three pre-recorded baritones, the piece rippled through every extended technique in the book, but managed to sustain a structure that moved compellingly through fragmented, Steve Reich-like sections, to moments of raw, roof-raising dissonance. Again juxtaposing extremes of dissonance and consonance, Sacawa closed the first half with Glass�s "Piece in the Shape of a Square" � a pleasing, groovy meditation that shows early Glass at its best.

The second half opened with Wuorinen�s fabulous "Divertimento" for alto saxophone and piano. In this piece, Wuorinen proves he can be mellow and good-natured while preserving the bristling complexity those of us who enjoy his music savor. Also, the spot-on ensemble between Sacawa and his terrific pianist Wenli Zhou was breathtaking. After that, I�d rather forget about Derek Hurst�s goofy "Bacchanalia Skiapodorum," which overplayed its humorous hand. The concert closed with Gordon�s "The Low Quartet," which sounded like a kid being forced to practice his hexatonic scales before he could go outside and play. I missed the depth of "Decasia," but perhaps Gordon just wasn�t there yet twenty years ago.

The thing is, however, that, even though a concert like this has its highs and lows, the memory is one big high. Yes, I didn�t like some of the pieces, but to hear such a variety of contemporary music all on one program, and to find a performer who gives both Glass and Wuorinen everything he�s got, is just sensational. I wish Brian many more such concerts, and a speedy return to New York.

P.S. For an amusing post-concert anecdote, click on "comments."

posted by David Salvage 2/17/2005