Jacob David Sudol(b. Des Moines, Iowa 1980) writes intimate compositions that explore enigmatic phenomena and the inner nature of how we perceive sound. He recently finished his M.Mus. at McGill University and currently resides in La Jolla, CA where he is working towards a Ph.D. in composition at the University of California at San Diego with Roger Reynolds, Chinary Ung, Philippe Manoury, and Rand Steiger.
Over the last five years some of Jacob's mentors in composition have included John Rea, Denys Bouliane, Philippe Leroux, Sean Ferguson, Dan Asia, and Craig Walsh. He has also participated in master classes with Danish composer Bent Sørensen and German composer Manfred Stahnke.
During 2005-2006, Jacob was the first-ever composer-in-residence for the McGill Contemporary Music Ensemble under the direction of Denys Bouliane, in collaboration with the McGill Digital Composition Studio. He has also written music for the Nouvel Ensemble Moderne, the Contemporary Keyboard Society, percussionist Fernando Rocha, saxophonist Elizabeth Bunt, and clarinetist Krista Martynes. As an undergraduate at the University of Arizona, he composed the music for a collaborative dance project with choreographer Hillary Peterson, and he was the principal composer and pianist for El Proyecto de Santa Barbara, a chamber Latin jazz ensemble.
During the 2005 and 2007 Montréal/Nouvelles Musiques and 2006 MusiMars festivals Jacob was an electronic assistant for performances with Court-Circuit, Matt Haimovitz, Sara Laimon, Martin Matalon, Moritz Eggert, Manfred Stahnke, the Caput Ensemble, and the McGill Contemporary Music Ensemble. These concerts were broadcast by the CBC and the European Broadcasting Union in over fifty countries throughout the world. He is currently a studio research assistant for Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Roger Reynolds.
During his free time Jacob takes an active interest in religious phenomenology, cinema, acoustics, literature, poetry, and visual art. As a composer and performer, he always attempts to bring insights from these other fields into his work.
Disclaimer:
All music posted on this blog is posted out of love and the idea that for the truly great music of our time(s) to be known it must first and foremost be heard. If you like what you hear please support the artist by buying the recordings, scores, and/or encouraging the performances of the music in every way possible.
If you are the composer, performer, performing organization, artist or directly represent the composer, performer, performing organization, or artist of anything posted on this website and would like your material removed please contact me and I will happily oblige.
"Rumore sui” is the second in Denys Bouliane’s new trilogy of chamber works (the first being the previously posted ”Qualia sui" (2001-02) for piano trio and the final being “Tremore sui” for violin and piano (2004-)). The thematic linking in these works derives itself from the Latin word “sui” which means “of oneself." As the trilogy progresses a there is a progression towards a deeper level of introspective probing.
The two movements in "Rumore sui" are essentially two views on the same musical material -- the first movement an extroverted view and the second an introverted view. The second movement of this work with its early culminating vortex and the following hypnotic shattered modal faux-music-box is quite possibly my favorite of all of Denys's works.
Following what is starting to become running series of quiet introspective posts, I’ve decided to post another dark introspective work.
“Qualia sui” is the first in Denys Bouliane’s new trilogy of chamber works (the second being “Rumore sui” (2002-03) for piano trio and the final being “Tremore sui” for violin and piano (2004-)). The thematic linking in these works derives itself from the Latin word “sui” which means “of oneself” and, over the course of the trilogy, follows a progression towards a deeper level of introspective probing. Denys has also remarked that writing each of these pieces has been progressively harder; so much so that, as of last Winter, he still hadn’t completed “Tremore sui.”
The introversion in these works stands in strong contrast to the majority of Denys’s catalogue, which tends towards overt extroversion. In my opinion, it is possibly this distinction that also makes the two completed “sui” chamber works some of Denys Bouliane’s strongest and most enduring works.
Performed by the Arditti String Quartet (currently out of print)
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For the last few days I decided not to listen to any music. I’m sure that to many, this may not seem all that unusual but, as I’ve said before, I typically listen to multiple hours of music each day and, as I haven’t said before, I often rely upon it to fulfill some sort of intangible emotion function.
I could say that this personal trial because I want to see what my thoughts and emotions bring or don’t bring in silence but, honestly, this has been more about seeing what happens if, even for the slightest period of time, I can’t rely upon music as I have seemingly have needed to before.
To compliment this I have (however ironically it may seem) chosen to post a piece of music that Wolfgang Rihm wrote when he was merely 24, a work that follows what has become a predominant German post-war artistic esthetic – approaching silence. Enjoy listening to it in the moment and, possibly even more so, afterwards.
