Events & Tickets
Chamber Music
Percussion Consort: Junkestra
New World Center, Michael Tilson Thomas Performance Hall
Program
The NWS Percussion Fellows are ready to rock out on everything from drums, whistles and harmonicas and even to trash. Composer Nathaniel Stookey scavenged a city dump to create his symphony of garbage, Junkestra. Stookey joins the Fellows with instruments he created from bike wheels, bird cages and other recycled material. Kenji Bunch infuses his Concerto with jazz, blues and rock, propelling it to a rousing finale. By placing items inside of two pianos, George Crumb creates a fantastic sound world in Music for a Summer Evening (Makrokosmos III), praised as “so successful and openhearted, it is among the most frequently performed avant-garde chamber works.”
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Program
Kenji Bunch
(b. 1973)
Approx. Duration: 7 minutes
Concerto for Piano Trio and Percussion
(1996; revised 1998)
Ben Cornavaca, Caleb Breidenbaugh, percussion
Noah Sonderling, piano; Christina Choi, violin
Amy Sunyoung Lee, cello
Nathaniel Stookey
(b. 1970)
Approx. Duration: 11 minutes
Junkestra
(2007)
Spaciously
Fluid, meditative
Where does the Lone Ranger take his garbage?
Nathaniel Stookey, musical saw
Caleb Breidenbaugh, Ben Cornavaca, Joe Desotelle
Jennifer Marasti, Matthew Kibort
Lucas Allen, Alvin Macasero, percussion
Intermission
George Crumb
(1929-2002)
Approx. Duration: 35 minutes
Music for a Summer Evening (Makrokosmos III) for Two Amplified Pianos and Two Percussion
(1974)
Nocturnal Sounds (The Awakening)
Wanderer-Fantasie
The Advent
Myth
Music of the Starry Night
Joe Desotelle, Jennifer Marasti, percussion
Wesley Ducote, Noah Sonderling, piano
Kenji Bunch
Concerto for Piano Trio and Percussion
(1996; revised 1998)
Approximate duration: 7 minutes
Kenji Bunch is celebrated as one of the most renowned American composers of our time. He has created a complex body of work that is undeniably important. He received degrees in viola and composition from The Juilliard School and has collaborated with musicians across genres, including pop, country, rock and experimental music. Born in the Pacific Northwest, he returned to his hometown of Portland, Oregon after composing in New York City for 20 years. He is currently the Artistic Director of Fear No Music and served as the inaugural Composer-in-Residence at the Moab Music Festival in 2021.
Bunch’s Concerto for Piano Trio and Percussion, dedicated to the Ahn Trio, premiered at the Miller Theater in New York in 1996. This exciting and full-bodied piece features Bunch’s acute ability to draw on remnants of folk and Americana music. It is quick-tempoed and full of vitality throughout its first portion, but it flows into a calming, minimal and romantic violin melody before flashing into its original vigorous tempo.
Nathaniel Stookey
Junkestra
(2007)
Approximate duration: 11 minutes
Musical virtuoso Nathaniel Stookey achieved nothing short of innovation when he premiered his seminal piece, Junkestra in 2007. The three-movement composition garnered immediate attention as it is performed with instruments Stookey invented from garbage and discarded objects he obtained through an artist-in-residence program called Recology in San Francisco. With visionary fervor, he continued to push creative boundaries by premiering the piece in a warehouse at the Recology facility in San Francisco. Word caught on quickly about the uniqueness of Junkestra causing performances to become a sensation through the late 2000s and early 2010s.
Junkestra presents clear percussive melodies and astounding soundscapes. Stookey is able to breathe life into composition with instruments that otherwise had no value. This imaginative, whimsical piece is defined by the ringing reverberation of percussive objects. There is a tightly woven, continuous movement of notes that sound beat-driven, similar to modern popular music. The second movement introduces a spectral woodwind accompaniment. The third movement resolves to similar textures of the first, but picks up in speed and intensity, drawing to a conclusion with vitality.
George Crumb
Music for a Summer Evening (Makrokosmos III) for Two Amplified Pianos and Two Percussion
(1974)
Approximate duration: 35 minutes
George Crumb was a consummate avant-garde classical composer whose technically profound compositions pushed the envelope for over 40 years. His large body of work is emblematic of music’s potential to evoke new soundscapes.
Crumb’s Music for a Summer Evening (Makroksmos III) was commissioned by the Fromm Foundation and premiered at Swarthmore College in 1974. Crumb writes, "the musical fabric of Summer Evening results largely from the elaboration of tiny cells into a sort of mosaic design. This time-hallowed technique seems to function in much new music, irrespective of style, as a primary structural modus… In its overall style, Summer Evening might be described as either more or less atonal, or more or less tonal. The more overtly tonal passages can be defined in terms of the basic polarity F#-D# minor (or, enharmonically, Gb-Eb minor).”
This imaginative piece reveals Crumb’s personal genius and creativity. He offered complex, dark and expressive musical works that inspire thought and openness to experimentation. Music for a Summer Evening is performed with two pianos that intermingle with one another. He mixes tonal and atonal vocabularies, and the way he balances the two is remarkably cohesive and entrancing. The composition plays with sound as well as silence. It is spacious and expansive, full of depth and emotion. Engaging with this work is refreshingly compelling, and every moment leaves the listener anticipating the next note.
– © Jordannah Elizabeth
Jordannah Elizabeth is an award-winning author, journalist, lecturer and music critic whose work has appeared in NPR Music, Guggenheim, DownBeat Magazine, Alta Journal, Village Voice and other reputable outlets. She currently teaches music business at the School of Jazz and Contemporary Music at The New School.
Kenji Bunch
(b. 1973)
Approx. Duration: 7 minutes
Concerto for Piano Trio and Percussion (1996; revised 1998)
Ben Cornavaca,Caleb Breidenbaugh, percussion
Noah Sonderling, piano;Christina Choi, violin
Amy Sunyoung Lee, cello
Nathaniel Stookey
(b. 1970)
Approx. Duration: 11 minutes
Junkestra (2007)
Spaciously
Fluid, meditative
Where does the Lone Ranger take his garbage?
Nathaniel Stookey, musical saw
Caleb Breidenbaugh,Ben Cornavaca,Joe Desotelle
Jennifer Marasti,Matthew Kibort
Lucas Allen,Alvin Macasero, percussion
Intermission
George Crumb
(1929-2002)
Approx. Duration: 35 minutes
Music for a Summer Evening (Makrokosmos III) for Two Amplified Pianos and Two Percussion (1974)
Nocturnal Sounds (The Awakening)
Wanderer-Fantasie
The Advent
Myth
Music of the Starry Night
Joe Desotelle,Jennifer Marasti, percussion
Wesley Ducote,Noah Sonderling, piano
Kenji Bunch
Concerto for Piano Trio and Percussion (1996; revised 1998)
Duración aproximada: 7 minutos
Kenji Bunch es conocido como uno de los compositores estadounidenses más renombrados de nuestro tiempo, creando una obra de gran complejidad e innegable importancia. Recibió títulos de viola y composición de Juilliard y ha colaborado con músicos de diversos géneros, incluyendo pop, country, rock y música experimental. Nacido en el noroeste del Pacífico, regresó a su natal Portland, Oregón después de componer en Nueva York por 20 años. Actualmente es el Director Artístico de Fear No Music y fue el primer Compositor en Residencia del Festival de Música de Moab en 2021.
El Concierto para Trío de Piano y Percusión de Bunch, dedicado al Trío Ahn, se estrenó en el Teatro Miller de Nueva York en 1996. Esta emocionante obra presenta la aguda habilidad de Bunch para inspirarse en los restos de la música popular americana. De tempo rápido y llena de vitalidad en la primera parte, fluye hacia una melodía tranquila, minimalista y romántica del violín antes de recuperar su vigoroso tempo original.
Nathaniel Stookey
Junkestra (2007)
Duración aproximada: 11 minutos
El virtuoso musical Nathaniel Stookey estrenó su trascendental e innovadora obra Junkestra en 2007. La composición de tres movimientos atrajo atención inmediata ya que se interpreta con instrumentos que Stookey creó con basura y objetos desechados que obtuvo de un programa llamado Recology en San Francisco. Con fervor visionario, continuó empujando los límites creativos al estrenar la pieza en un almacén de las instalaciones de Recology en San Francisco. Rápidamente se corrió la voz sobre la singularidad de Junkestra, lo cual provocó que las actuaciones se convirtieran en una sensación a finales de la década de 2000 y principios de la siguiente. Junkestra nos presenta melodías de percusión claras y asombrosos pasajes sonoros. Stookey es capaz de dar vida a la composición con instrumentos que de otro modo no tendrían ningún valor. Esta imaginativa y extravagante obra se define por la reverberación y el repiqueteo de objetos percusivos. Posee un movimiento continuo y estrechamente entrelazado de notas que suenan impulsadas por el ritmo, semejante a la música popular moderna. El segundo movimiento introduce un acompañamiento espectral de viento madera. El tercer movimiento acude a texturas similares al primero, pero aumenta en velocidad e intensidad, arribando con vitalidad a su final.
George Crumb
Music for a Summer Evening (Makrokosmos III) for Two Amplified Pianos and Two Percussion (1974)
Duración aproximada: 35 minutos
George Crumb fue un consagrado compositor avant-garde cuyas obras, técnicamente profundas, empujaron los límites por más de 40 años. Su extensa trayectoria es representativa del potencial de la música para evocar nuevos paisajes sonoros.
Música para una noche de verano de Crumb (Makrokosmos III) fue encargada por la Fundación Fromm y se estrenó en Swarthmore College en 1974. Crumb escribe: “El tejido musical de Noche de Verano proviene en gran medida de la formación de células diminutas en una especie de diseño de mosaico. Esta reverenciada técnica parece funcionar en mucha de la música contemporánea, independientemente del estilo, con un modus estructural primario…En su estilo general, Noche de Verano puede describirse como más o menos atonal o más o menos tonal. Los pasajes más tonales pueden definirse en términos de polaridad básica, Fa sostenido – Re sostenido menor (o, enarmónicamente, Sol bemol – Mi bemol menor).”
Esta imaginativa pieza revela el genio personal y la creatividad de Crumb. Él nos ofrece obras musicales complejas, oscuras y expresivas que nos invitan a pensar y a permanecer abiertos a la experimentación. Música para una noche de verano es interpretada con dos pianos que se entremezclan entre ellos. Él incorpora vocabularios tonales y atonales, y la manera en que equilibra los dos es increíblemente coherente y fascinante. La pieza juega tanto con el sonido como con el silencio. Es espaciosa y expansiva, llena de profundidad y emoción. Disfrutar de esta obra es una experiencia refrescante y cautivadora, y cada momento deja al oyente anticipando la siguiente nota.
– © Jordannah Elizabeth
Jordannah Elizabeth es una galardonada escritora, periodista, profesora y crítica musical cuyo trabajo ha aparecido en NPR Music, Guggenheim, DownBeat Magazine, Alta Journal, Village Voice y otras prestigiosas publicaciones. Actualmente es profesora de Music Business en la Escuela de Jazz y Música Contemporánea de la universidad The New School en Nueva York.
Translation by Maria Paulina García
Nathaniel Stookey, musical saw
First commissioned by the San Francisco Symphony at age 17, Nathaniel Stookey has gone on to collaborate with many of the world’s great orchestras, including the Philadelphia Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, Chicago Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, National Symphony, Orchestra of St. Luke’s at Carnegie Hall, Toronto Symphony, Hallé Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony and the Sinfonieorchester des Norddeutschen Rundfunks (NDR), among many others.
In 1993, upon graduating from the University of California at Berkeley, Mr. Stookey was awarded the first Hallé Orchestra Composition Fellowship, serving as resident composer under Kent Nagano from 1993 to 1996 and producing a wide range of works including the gamelan-inspired Tame Me and Colliding with Chris, which was a (London)Times Critic’s Choice in 1995. In 2000, having returned to the United States, Mr. Stookey received a three-year New Residencies Award from Meet The Composer to serve as composer-in-residence with the North Carolina Symphony and The Ciompi Quartet. That partnership drew national press attention with over 60 performances of five new and three existing works, including Big Bang for the opening of Meymandi Hall, Wide As Skies for the centennial of the first manned flight and Out of the Everywhere.
In 2006 the San Francisco Symphony commissioned, premiered and recorded The Composer Is Dead, a sinister guide to the orchestra with narration by Lemony Snicket. According to BBC commentator Norman Lebrecht, Mr. Stookey’s The Composer is Dead is one of the five most performed classical works of the 21st century, worldwide.
In addition to works for conventional ensembles, Mr. Stookey has continued to attract new audiences with music that challenges the established boundaries of classical music. In 2007 Junkestra, for an orchestra of objects scavenged at the San Francisco dump, drew thousands of listeners to warehouses, public squares and YouTube before being taken up by the San Francisco Symphony and other classical presenters. Stephin Merritt of The Magnetic Fields called the work "gorgeous music […] delicate yet blunt, like a battle scene by Fabergé.” That same year, Mr. Stookey contributed original music for string quintet to The Mars Volta’s Grammy-winning album The Bedlam in Goliath.
Mr. Stookey is a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley and Duke University. His principal teachers were Peter Scott Lewis, Donald Erb, Andrew Imbrie, Cindy Cox, George Benjamin, Stephen Jaffe and Scott Lindroth. Concurrently with his orchestral residencies, he served on the faculties of the University of Sheffield (U.K.) and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where, from 1998 to 2003, he was artistic director and host of Composers-in-Context. Commercial recordings include Nathaniel Stookey: Music for Strings (1992–2002) by The Ciompi Quartet and the strings of the North Carolina Symphony; Fling by the Left Coast Chamber Ensemble (part of the live anthology "San Francisco Premieres"); The Composer is Dead by the San Francisco Symphony, a New York Times bestseller; and Junkestra by members of the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra. Nathaniel Stookey’s music is published by Associated Music Publishers.
