contemporaryclassical

This podcast features American composer Jennifer Higdon in a wide-ranging conversation with Raymond Bisha, during which she describes the long swathe of influences on her composing career. The musical spotlights comprise extracts from her latest recording for Naxos of two powerfully engaging works: the Concerto for Orchestra, written in 2002 and demanding virtuosity from principal players, individual sections and the entire orchestra alike; and her pyrotechnic Duo Duel, a concerto for two percussionists written in 2020, that boasts a killer cadenza (during which you should hold on to your hat) and a diaphanous opening (for which you should hold your breath, and with which this podcast begins…).  This recording features solo percussionists Matthew Strauss and Svet Stoyanov, with the Houston Symphony conducted by Robert Spano

In this episode of the MFM Speaks Out, Dawoud Kringle interviews California based musician, improviser, composer, and inventor of the Bazantar Mark Deutsch about his personal evolution from contrabass and sitar virtuoso to designing an unprecedented musical instrument, his artistic and spiritual philosophies on music, and the struggles of being an innovator and iconoclast. Mark started as a "go to guy" on both bass and sitar, before immersing himself in the Bazantar. He produced The Fool, his first recording of the Bazantar, and recently, The Picasso Tunings; a four CD release of music utilizing a set of tuning systems and templates for composition and improvisation that has no historical precedent. In 2019, after releasing The Picasso Tunings, he embarked upon a solo tour of the US, traveling cross country, and introducing his music to a wider audience. He is presently at work upon a new composition based on the I Ching ("The Book of Changes;" a Chinese book of divination dating back to the 10th century b.c.). 

CD Review: Mark Deutsch (NY): Virtuoso Musician, Inventor, and Visionary

The following music featured in this episode is provided courtesy of Mark Deutsch.

Opening track: "The Offending Stone," by Mark Deutsch, from The Picasso Tunings.

Middle track: "Antique Slippers," by Mark Deutsch, from The Picasso Tunings.

Ending track: "Kundalini Rising," by Mark Deutsch, from The Fool.

Credits
Producer and host: Dawoud Kringle
Publisher: Musicians For Musicians (MFM), Inc. and Sohrab Saadat Ladjvardi
Technical support: Adam Reifsteck
Links
Be sure to follow and tag MFM on Facebook ([https://www.facebook.com/M4M.org/] and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/mfm\_association/).

That’s not a violin – it’s a woodbox! Daniel Bernard Roumain talks about creative appropriation in classical music. The Haitian-American composer’s creative world was cracked open when he realized that everything – including the definition of “violin” – was ripe for reinterpretation. As a kid in garage bands, he took the decidedly uncool violin and made it his own. As a classically trained musician, he brings classical music together with hip hop, rock, bluegrass, and other genres to create his signature sound. We talk about DBR’s creative journey and about how innovators like John Cage have changed classical music by adding an important ingredient to the genre: imagination.

Audio production by Todd “T-Dawg” Hulslander with super disco breaking by Dacia Clay.

Music in this episode:

• Lots of woodbox improvisation by Daniel Bernard Roumain
• “Sonata No. 2” from Sonatas and Interludes for Prepared Piano by John Cage, played by Boris Berman
• “Sonata for Violin and Turntables, Part 1” from Woodbox Beats & Balladryby Daniel Bernard Roumain

To see DBR perform in our studios on Skyline Sessions, go here.

Daniel Roumain is an artist in residence with the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts, which is dedicated to interdisciplinary collaboration across the performing, visual, and literary arts. Based at the University of Houston, the Mitchell Center commissions and produces new works, presents public performances and exhibitions, offers curriculum and scholarships, and hosts residencies with renowned visiting artists from throughout the world. The Center is home to the Mitchell Artist Lecture, an annual event featuring a pioneer in contemporary art-making, as well as CounterCurrent, an annual spring festival of new performance. The Mitchell Center forms an alliance among five departments at UH: the School of Art, Moores School of Music, School of Theatre & Dance, Creative Writing Program, and Blaffer Art Museum. For more information visit www.mitchellcenterforarts.org.

How strange (and awesome) it is to be Jherek Bischoff at all. This composer, arranger, performer, and producer began his musical journey playing prog rock on bass guitar. After spending years of his youth on a boat, which his family sailed around the world playing music with locals as they went, he toured and recorded with indie rock and experimental bands. Then one day, he heard a piece of classical music that changed his life forever. Suddenly, he found himself composing for chamber groups and orchestras, learning a whole new musical and cultural language. Hear all about his journey into classical music, his interview with Terry Gross, and his new album (which was born inside of a cistern), in this episode.

Music in this episode from Bischoff's upcoming album Cistern (release: July 15, 2016). For more about his new album, visit www.jherekbischoff.com

Audio production by Todd "Tiramisu" Hulslander with doggy paddling by Dacia Clay and editing by Mark DiClaudio.

Thanks to George Heathco for the MusicWorks theme music. For more about his music: www.soundcloud.com/george-heathco