Alvin Singleton's 75th Birthday at Roulette

by Ted Gordon on March 10, 2016, 2:52 p.m.

Alvin Singleton has always been a singular voice in contemporary composition, and has been composing music throughout the post-war era. Now in his 75th year, Singleton is celebrated at Roulette with an evening of performances of seven of his most interesting works. In addition to the US premiere of Argoru IV for viola, part of his "Argoru" series for solo instrumentalists, the Momenta Quartet will perform two string quartets, pianist Joseph Kubera will play three solo piano works, and the trio of Meaghan Burke, Stephanie Griffin, and James Ilgenfritz will perform Be Natural.

Check out Singleton's comments on the concert below. 

The Modern Harpsichord

by Ted Gordon on Sept. 19, 2013, 3:20 p.m.

Since the revival of early and baroque music in the second half of the twentieth century, the harpsichord has increased in visibility and prominence: it can now be found in conservatories and classrooms across the globe. Familiar repertoire is prolific and celebrated, but the harpsichord isn't a mere historical relic. Since Ligeti's celebrated 1968 work for the instrument, Continuum, modernists and post-modernists alike have used the harpsichord for its inherent qualities: intensity of attack, quickness of decay, depth of tone.

We're excited to have two contemporary works for this instrument available from PSNY, and a number of other works available from Schott music. Besides Ligeti's compositions for the instrument-- including Continuum, Hungarian Rock, and Passacaglia Ungherese-- take a look at Alvin Singleton's hypnotic, minimal Le Tombeau du Petit Prince, and Lei Liang's Some Empty Thoughts of a Person from Edo, in whch the instrument's resonance with East Asian stringed instruments, raw emotion, and hints of the baroque come together in a virtuosic, powerful composition. 

Christopher Cerrone's Invisible Cities at Los Angeles' Union Station

by Ted Gordon on June 21, 2013, 11:19 a.m.

Los Angeles' Union Station, built in 1939, is one of the last great railway stations in the United States. Its resonant acoustics and beautiful glass ceiling are remnants of an older era of American industry, a faded optimism built on steel, electricity, and the hard work of a city full of laborers. Linked to other Union Stations by rail, it is the gateway for exploration, a poetic marvel on the path across the West coast. An early-20th Century traveller, like Marco Polo, might have seen it as a metonym for an entire city, one made of glass and steel. 

Christopher Cerrone's opera, Invisible Cities, based on the Italo Calvino novel of the same name, has seen several productions in recent years, but none of them has taken place in a space so appropriate to both the novel and to Cerrone's meditative, powerful music. On October 19th, 2013, Invisible Cities will begin its limited run in Los Angeles' Union Station, with a full orchestra and cast, and an audience of 150-- all wearing wireless headphones. The project, co-presented by Los Angeles' avant-garde production group The Industry and the Los Angeles Dance Project, is also sponsored by Sennheiser, who will provide all of the technology needed to bring this remarkable idea for a project into life. 

Cerrone's team have started a Kickstarter to help with the costs of this large-scale, technologically-advanced project. Along with the chance to be a supporter of this cutting-edge project, patrons can also choose from a wide variety of rewards for their donations, including a new song by Cerrone based on the text of the patrons' choice.

Also, for those in New York today, be sure to check out Martha Mooke, electric violist, who will be performing works by Alvin Singleton at the New York Public Library, Riverside Branch as a part of today's Make Music New York festival! Mooke will perform her eponymous Mookestück, written for her by Singleton in 1999.