Crossroads of Traditions Concert
| Susurrus | Christopher Preissing (born 1960, USA) |
| The human being | Jimena Andonie (born 1957, Honduras) |
Songs
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Camargo Guarnieri (1907-1993, Brasil) |
| Liguero | Juan Trigos (born 1965, México) |
| Immoderate acts | Timothy Olsen (born 1961, USA) |
Presented by The Latin American Music Center with the support of the School of Music and the Office of Creative Arts Exchange Program of the United States Information Agency. | |
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| Auer Hall Friday Evening June 28 Eight O'clock | |
Program Notes
Susurrus (1991)
Christopher Preissing
The tradition with which I identify myself is not an easy one to define. Music, specifically electronic or computer based music, is only one of many elements which comprise the palette from which I create. Additionally, most of my works incorporate one or more additional media. The intent in my works is to allow each contributing media to contribute independently and directly to the composition. Susurrus-a soft whispering or rustling sound; a murmur; a whisper-is based on Nietzsche's "Three Metamorphoses," from Thus Spoke Zarathustra; here the spirit becomes a camel; the camel, a lion; the lion, a child. These three stages in the development of the spirit can also be represented by the phrases: "thou shalt," "I will," and "free will." Through the structural use of the Greek dramatic form and from sources derived from the definition and etymology of the work's title, the man in Susurrus searches for his own inner freedom. (Note by the composer)
The Human Being (1992)
Jimena Andonie
As a Meso-American composer my objective is to transparently present what I am: a cultural hybrid. Coming back to my country after 20 years abroad has developed in me the need of looking into my own culture and re-encounter my roots. In Honduras the popular and ethnic traditions form a part of the daily life of the people. The constant contact with these traditions stimulates me to create. My compositions express the three elements present in my hybrid culture: the Afro-Caribbean, the indigenous, and the Spanish. The Human Being is a live expression of Spanish music in Latin America. This is clearly seen in the melodies of Spanish character, the guitars with Flamenco elements, and rhythms clearly related with popular Spanish dances. The work also presents Arab elements which are very characteristic of Spanish music. (Note by the composer)
Three Songs
Camargo Guarnieri
Guarnieri's compositions reflect musical idioms of the Sao Paulo region, not by quoting popular songs, but by recreating the spirit of Brazilianism in original melodies, which he believed should be treated polyphonically. These three songs-Den-Báu (1932), Quando embalada (1948), and Vou-me embora (1948)-reflect this intention; the characteristic rhythmic vitality (recurring syncopation and irregular accents), text repetition, rich harmonic colors, and underlying melodic lyricism blend in perfect balance to recreate the tradition of Brazilianism to which Guarnieri belongs. We add these songs by Guarnieri as an homage to one of the giants of Latin American music.
Liguero (1992)
Juan Trigos
My work is identified with contemporary avant-garde music. I use elements from traditional folklore and Latin American popular music exclusively as an abstraction. Technically, I use sonorous material abstracted and processed by means of a personal compositional technique, modulating it through a filter I call pulsación , esential element of my work. Liguero -text by the composer-is a section of A Falta de Dios Nuestro Señor Presidente, a Teatro Concertante originally for soloists and orchestra. The structure is based on pronunciation, punctuation, and accents of the text which consists of a series of short outcries-full of idiomatic expressions-expressing the conflict between faith and the lack of it. Liguero is something like a continuous elaboration of the original sonorous material (a type of perpetual variation) that favors soloistic virtuosity and gives color to the instrumentation. The sonority reminds us of certain forms of Latin American popular music, but it is actually an abstraction of its fundamental elements. (Note by the composer)
Immoderate Acts (1988)
Timothy Olsen
My work involves a mixture of widely disparate traditions. My musical sensibilities were forged through the television shows, films, and Broadway musicals I watched, and in the concert, polka, and jazz bands in which I participated on trumpet. Exposure to these popular genres has given me a keen understanding of "music with a job to do"-for sheer entertainment, to underscore dramatic action, for dancing, to convey a particular message. In Immoderate Acts the percussionist sits at a drum kit which is augmented by found objects-the less conventional and more clangorous, the better. Rhythms are notated, but timbre is less precise: the trumpet is given a choice of alternate fingerings which produce a more raw flavor, while the precussion is divided into two general areas-membrane/wood and metal. The second movement, "Ray's Rock House," is built upon a common two-bar samba melody. The percussionist improvises in 9/8 while the trumpet lays selected notes from this melodic ostinato. At first these notes are widely separated but gradually these notes occur with greater frequency and the trumpet begins to fill in the melody. This implied cut-time creates a huge conflict with the percussion's 9/8. A mysterious turn of events helps to resolve the tensions accumulated in the piece. (Note by the composer)
Three Songs
Camargo Guarnieri
Den-Báu (1932)
The text of this song consists of meaningless made-up words or single syllables with the purpose of creating sonorous effects.
Quando embalada (1948)
When you are lost in sleep and dreaming deeply,
My image will appear again before you,
Remember then the love I bore you, ingrate.
Listening to you I should die, contented.
Within my breast the life will be extinguished;
And never more I'll see, nor care, nor will.
Remember well the love I bore you, ingrate,
Who from above will listen for you still.
Vou-me embora (1948)
It seems ages since I left you to come over here
Though it's only four weeks Thursday since I saw you, dear.
As the buildings tower above me, lower my spirits go,
While they laugh I weep with longing for the hearts I know.Goodbye, city, more's the pity I can't write my song,
So long, city, goodbye, city, come along my song.
Though it's only four weeks Thursday, since I saw you, dear.
Staying on I'll die of longing for the faces, for the places I love.I must flee this homesick torment, fight it as I may.
Farewell, city, goodbye city, sorry, I can't stay.
Farewell, city, goodbye city, must be on my way.
Staying on I'll die of longing, longing night and day.Goodbye, city more's the pity I can't write my song, . . .
Notes prepared by Mario Ortiz
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