Sequenza21/The Contemporary Classical Music Weekly

Last Night in L.A. - Minimalism's Influence

One of the adjunct concerts in the Minimalist Jukebox series was given last night at LACMA by the California EAR Unit. Another adjunct was Sunday night�s concert at Disney Hall by the Master Chorale, with works by Arvo Part, Meredith Monk, and Michael Torke. Grant Gershon has brought some exciting programming to the Chorale, and I really wished this concert had been on another night when I could have attended.

The Unit gave us a very pleasant survey of influences of minimalism, beginning with the first movement of Seduction of Sapienta (1974) by the conductor of last week�s In C, David Rosenboom []. The influences of Terry Riley are there to hear, but there are also some striking individual ideas. In the latter half of the movement, the music developed a smoky, jazzy feeling: a club at 4:00 a.m., the musicians noodling with a few hangers-on listening, the bass clarinet sounding like the sax. At least this was my impression; I�m not sure what Rosenboom intended, since the work was originally written for viola da gamba and electronics, and the EAR Unit might have introduced their own ambiance. (However, with Rosenboom there, I�m confident they had his agreement.) The work was written when Rosenboom was only 26, before he decided that composition would take a less prominent role than his career in music education; my, he was good! I hope he has no regrets.

Also close to minimalism was 9 through 99 (2005 version) by Peter Adriaansz. The work is a tightly controlled implementation in music of the mathematical progression in Pascal�s triangle. It was ingenious. The instruments came in sequentially with the exploration of the increasingly elaborate patters; a constant beat kept things together. This was In C for a planned, controlled, organized group; nevertheless it was entertaining.

Far from minimalism, except by slow changes in sound, were two other works. Sub Rosa (1986) by Gavin Bryars was like a New Age sound environment, or perhaps music for a slowly-changing field of light. The program notes gave an ideal application: the choreographer William Forsythe used the music as the background for dancers moving slowly while suspended by fly wires. The Unit also gave the premiere of a new work by Mark Grey, whose recognized work in sound design included Adams� Transmigration of Souls and Dharma at Big Sur. The Sleepless Dream (2006) is dedicated to the memory of �Lucky� Mosko, lost recently from our music community. The work has four movements, each starting quietly with a small theme but shifting as it progresses, becoming faster and more agitated before a gradual calming occurs, creating a stillness before the start of the next movement.

The concert closed with Liquid States (2006) by Linda Bouchard. I had not heard her music before, and this was an interesting piece for percussion, piano, violin, clarinet and cello. She made good use of alternative sound generation, treating the piano as a multiple-percussion instrument with, at times, the pianist, the violinist and the clarinetist strumming, hammering on, or brushing the strings. The cello, as you might expect, was used for multiple tones and colors by various bowing techniques, by strumming and by slapping. She was able to have musical content worth attending to while applying these techniques. The work was strong, occasionally propulsive, occasionally thoughtful. This provided a stimulating end to a solid concert.

The Feldman String Quartet No. 2, which had been postponed due to injury to one of the players, has been rescheduled by the Flux Quartet for Saturday, April 15. It will be given in the gallery in the third floor of the Modern and Contemporary Art building.

posted by Jerry Bowles 3/28/2006