James Matheson on Yarlung
James Matheson Violin Concerto, String Quartet, Time Alone Baird Dodge, violin; Chicago Symphony, conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen; Color Field Quartet Laura Strickling, soprano; Thomas Sauer, piano Yarlung Records On his…
Lei Liang – “Luminous” (CD Review)
Lei Liang Luminous The Formosa Quartet, Aleck Karis, piano; Third Coast Percussion, Daniel Schlosberg, piano; Michael Lewanski, conductor; Mark Dresser, contrabass solo; The Palimpsest Ensemble, Steven Schick, percussion, conductor New…
Friday: Ueno Opera at Sawdust
At National Sawdust on Friday April 7th at 7 PM, Opera Cabal presents the premiere of Ken Ueno’s new opera Aeolus. Joined by vocalist Majel Connery and Flux Quartet, Ueno performs throughout the opera. His fascinating blend of vocal techniques…
Music of Jürg Frey at Cal Arts
On January 13, 2017, Cal Arts presented The Path and the Expanse, a concert of music by Jürg Frey, a member of the Wandelweiser collective. A modest crowd braved Friday…
Jeffrey Mumford Remembers Pauline Oliveros
Composer Jeffrey Mumford remembers the recently departed Pauline Oliveros in the following obituary. I had the honor of being a TA for Pauline Oliveros during my graduate studies at the University of…
Happy Birthday Meredith Monk!
Meredith Monk turns 74 today. An early birthday present came from ECM Records on November 4th: a recording of Monk’s On Behalf of Nature project. We do not have the benefit of language:…
Twenty-Five Hours For YOU To Be Heard
In this year where up is down and blue is red, one constant remains: our radio pal Marvin Rosen‘s end-of-year, day-long marathon playing recent music by living composers. But how does…
Happy Birthday to Steve Reich
Steve Reich turns 80 today. I can’t think of a better way to fete the composer on record than DG’s recent reissue of the 1974 recording of Drumming. Performed by Reich and…
Interview: Christian Carey Talks with the Kepler Quartet
One of the noteworthy recordings released in 2016 is the Kepler Quartet’s third volume of string quartets by Ben Johnston (New World Records). Johnston, who turned ninety this year, is…
Harold Budd in Concert
On August 21, 2016 the Ruth B. Shannon Center for the Performing Arts at Whittier College was the venue for a much-anticipated appearance by the distinguished composer Harold Budd. A…