Improvisation Program Notes

For Improvisation on January 9, 2015. This is your shovel. The music is your earth. Dig in.

Francesco Geminiani (1687-1762) :: Concerto Grosso in E Minor, op. 3 no. 3

By the time Geminiani was born, the Italians had clinched domination of the early Baroque era with Monteverdi ushering in both the seconda prattica and the age of opera, and Italian instruments (Stradivari), along with some of the most astonishing violin virtuosos the world has ever seen. One very well known of these virtuosos was Arcangelo Corelli. Another was Francesco Geminiani. The former was remembered, the latter, thought to be a student of Corelli’s, was largely forgotten.

Just as the Georgian age dawned in England with the great migration of the House of Hanover, Geminiani exported himself from the continent to the island, and took full advantage of the English enthusiasm for Italian music (highlighting his personal connection to Corelli to make the most of it, along the way). His quick rise to popularity apparently earned him an appearance performing on the violin before the new King George I with none other than Handel accompanying. Geminiani enjoyed immense popularity in Britain throughout his life, and never moved back to Italy. He would die in Dublin, Ireland.

Unfortunately for Geminiani, the ability to record was still a long way off, and so the only resources by which posterity could assess him were his compositions, treatises on instrumental performance practice, and other people’s written accounts of his violin playing (though flattering, less thrillingly direct than audio documentation). His slew of original concerti grossi, and sonatas were praised, but his quantity of obvious dual-purpose compositions that both honor his teacher Corelli and milk the connection for publicity earned him a historical reputation for not being innovative enough (the ultimate modern insult). However, in context, Geminiani the virtuoso/composer/writer was a triple threat, and the sum of his achievements is greater than the individual parts. Recent revivals of his works in live performance are well deserved, and offer a broader glimpse back to the Baroque, which all too often can be pitifully narrow, encompassing all of only a few names in the public mind.

“Concerto” comes from the Latin word “concertare,” and means, along with Italian, to contend or dispute/ to reach an agreement. In the concerti grossi, a smaller group of players is juxtaposed against the larger ensemble, creating an aural texture of delicacy and density in continuous interplay. Within the op. 3 no. 3, there is also a remarkable range of sentiments from the austerity of the slow opening, to the elegance of the second movement, and the vigor and virtuosity of the conclusion.

Ljova (b. 1978) :: Throw The Book

Notes from the composer:

"Of all the ways to make music, the one I love most is improvisation. It is within this realm of interacting with and responding to the unknown, skipping stones over a river of silence, that language is born; phrases, melodies, textures reveal themselves through dialogue between sound and stillness. Many of my happiest musical experiences have come this way, whether as a listener, composer or performer.

When A Far Cry commissioned me to write something for a concert focusing on “Improvisation”, I decided to try something new for me — to design a guided improvisation for ensemble. In a sense, I wanted to place the musicians in a similar space where I find myself most inspired — listening, responding, developing a vocabulary. There are no notes, rhythms or harmonies to work from — there is no “music” to read - rather, the piece is a large-scale framework from text-based instructions, comprised of 16 sections (cells). Some of the cells are pretty open while others are very specific. It is my hope — and here I feel as one of the “Three Little Pigs” — that the structure of the piece will stand. Only the wolf knows."

Frederic Rzewski (b. 1938) :: Les Moutons de Panurge (Panurge’s Sheep)

In the 16th century satirical novel about a giant and his son (also a giant) La vie de Gargantua et de Pantagruel (The Life of Gargantua and of Pantagruel) by François Rabelais, there is a scene where a character called Panurge throws a ram overboard into the sea, and a flock of sheep, also on the ship, follow suit into the water. This provides the inspiration for the title of Rzewski’s work, which, instructs any performers who lose their way and go overboard during the process of counting in the performance: “If you get lost, stay lost.”

Les Moutons de Panurge is for “any number of musicians playing melody instruments” in addition with “any number or non-musicians playing anything” utilizes a 65-note melody that unfolds in a series of additions (1, 1-2, 1-2-3, 1-2-3-4, etc.) followed by subtractions (“play the whole melody again and then begin subtracting notes from the beginning: 2-...-65, 3-...65, 4-...65, ..., 62-63-64-65, 63-64-65, 64-65. 65.”) At the conclusion of the progression through the melody everyone improvises.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) :: Piano Concerto in E-flat major, K. 449

Mozart was twenty-eight years old, and very ambitious. It was 1884, and he had relocated to Vienna just about three years prior. In the city, culture and glittering entertainment were in high demand from the bourgeoning middle class to the aristocracy, who, in particular, viewed patronage of the newest young talent as a key to social superiority (in Beethoven’s time, the aristocracy’s fervor rose to fever pitch, forcing some over zealous benefactors into deep debt, teetering on bankruptcy). In order to survive, as well as validate his reputation beyond the child prodigy paraded around Europe, Mozart had to secure either a court position, or devise ways to make it on his own as a freelancer. There was another motivation: to emancipate himself from his domineering father, and prove he could manage his own affairs. After some experimenting, Mozart discovered a winning formula, one that would support him for at least several years before changing his creative direction: 1) produce his own concerts in unconventional venues (the formal concert halls were always solidly booked, the logistics of which prohibiting him from presenting enough concerts from which to earn an adequate living), and 2) present himself as soloist. If he could sell enough tickets, he could make this venture work.

In order to showcase his virtuosity as a pianist, and create a show with enough splash and dash to merit a large space in which to entertain a large audience (i.e. make the most financial profit), Mozart set to work composing dozens and dozens of keyboard concertos. The solo concerto of the Classical era had grown out of the Baroque concerto grosso, a form that featured a dialogue between a small grouping of players and a larger ensemble. Now the dialogue was one against the many, and was meant to highlight the virtuosity of the soloist. To cement this, the crucial moment came in the form of a cadenza when the orchestra would cadence to a pause, and the performer would improvise a fantasy on the main themes presented in a given movement, much as we in the twenty-first century still expect our jazz performers to do. It’s magical watching the fleeting display of genius in an improvisation. Sadly, since the late nineteenth century the expectation the soloist would improvise has almost entirely disappeared, and now is considered a rarity rather than a given—with a few, delightful, exceptions.

Mozart’s concerto scheme worked. In a letter he wrote, “The first concert on March 17 went off very well. The hall was full to overflowing; and the new concerto [Maynard Solomon notes that Mozart likely refers to K. 449 here] I played won extraordinary applause. Everywhere I go I hear praises of that concert.” What Mozart capitalized upon was his own bottomless capacity for musical ideas mixed with a particular savvy when it came to knowing what people wanted to hear (subtle, complexities for the musically sophisticated, and a beautiful, catchy, tune for those seeking a fun night out), tied together with a no-fail appeal to the public’s appetite for witnessing a good show. Come see Mozart, the child prodigy you’ve seen or heard about, now all grown up—does he still have it? One way to find out. It only costs the price of a ticket.

Taraf de Haïdouks :: Turceasca, arr. Ljova

Taraf de Haïdouks’ Turceasca (“Turkish song”) brings full circle the 19th-20th century “isms” of nationalism and primitivism as well as the efforts of Bartók who went into the woods and saved folk idioms from extinction. As anthropological studies grew more commonplace so has scholarly and popular interest in the field of ethnomusicology. Whereas 200 years ago “classical” audiences’ exposure to non-Western traditions were relegated to musical spice (a little “alla turka” here, a little bohemian there) within sonata forms and rhapsodies, concert halls now present performances of Mozart and Brahms one night and the music of just about every country in the world the next. Additionally, “classical” soloists and ensembles release an increasingly diverse collection of recordings, such as Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road Ensemble “Silk Road Journeys” and the Kronos Quartet’s “Caravan.” The latter disc features a performance of the quartet with the Romanian band Taraf de Haïdouks’ signature piece, Turceasca.

Taraf de Haïdouks were discovered in their hometown Clejani, about an hour Southwest of Bucharest, by Swiss and Belgian ethnomusicologists/musicians in 1989 who saw and heard the group doing street performances, preserving the music of their ancestors. After the Romanian Revolution ended the dictatorship of Nicolae Ceauşescu, the musicians were brought to Belgium to record their first album and bring their traditional sounds to living rooms everywhere – or car stereos.

Members of A Far Cry heard the Taraf de Haïdouks and Kronos’ Turceasca track during a road trip and decided to pursue an arrangement of the work. In the process they discovered two AFC members had worked with the composer/arranger Lev Zhurbin, “Ljova” during separate times in their lives. It’s a small world after all.

by Katherine J Allwine Bacasmot

Kathryn J Allwine Bacasmot is a pianist/harpsichordist, musicologist, music & cultural critic, and freelance writer. She is a graduate of New England Conservatory, and writes program annotations for ensembles nationwide.

2014 Highlights

By any measure, 2014 was a remarkable year for us at A Far Cry. It’s impossible to capture the entire year in a list, but we’ll share a few highlights with you.

In 2014, A Far Cry...

• Launched Crier Records, our own in-house record label!
• Received a GRAMMY nomination for Dreams and Prayers, our first Crier Records release!
• Landed on Alex Ross’ list of 10 notable recordings of 2014, for our album Law of Mosaics!
• Began to live stream our Jordan Hall concerts for the first time!
• Welcomed a new Crier (Robyn Bollinger) and our first Executive Director (Graham Wright)!
• Was named one of 10 "Imagination-Grabbing, Trailblazing Artists of 2014" by WQXR!
• Was profiled by Harvard Magazine!
• Grew our extended family with two baby Criers—congrats to Omar and Jason on their new little ones!

We asked the Criers to share some of their individual highlights from 2014...

Erik Higgins:

"Dancing my first pas-de-deux with the wonderful Melanie from Urbanity Dance during terry Riley's 'In C'..."

Karl Doty:

"My 2014 highlight was having so many Criers travel all the way to Cape Girardeau, MO, to play and party at Liesl's and my wedding!"

Alex Fortes:

"I made my viola debut earlier this fall on the Biber Nightwatchman ;)"

J Cosmos Lee:

“I became curator and director of my own chamber music series, 'Nth Degree' in affiliation with the Cape Symphony, launching the first concert with a recital back in September!

AFC made our Canadian debut in Calgary back in January, then went onto play in Ottawa in July, both to accolades!”

Sarah Darling: "Got to indulge my creative side when eight virtuosic A Far Cry violinists played my arrangement of Biber's magnificent Passacaglia, literally trading sixteenth notes back and forth in a flash!"

Robyn Bollinger:

“I got to join A Far Cry!!! I also particularly enjoyed our collaboration with Roomful of Teeth.”

Miki Cloud:

“We collaborated with Urbanity twice :)  And we did our first all-baroque program.

Alex and I benefited greatly from our new host-family network for out of town Criers and guests.”

Annie Rabbat:

“We added some awesome new Board members and did a couple of great projects with Lisa Hicks and Community Action Partners!”

Karen Ouzounian:

“Traveled to Portland, Oregon for the first time during A Far Cry's Pacific Northwest tour! The tour culminated with an epic meal at Pok Pok with a bunch of Criers. Was introduced to and fell in love with Finnish fiddling music (JPP) thanks to Karl and Liesl!

And a couple of personal milestones: became a permanent U.S. Resident and got engaged!”

And onwards to 2015!

Now that 2015 is nearly upon us, we can't wait to share another year with you. We still have four subscription concerts left in Boston—including Improvisation coming up shockingly soon on January 9th!

We're enormously grateful for the huge number of supporters who helped us in 2014. If you haven't yet made a tax-deductible donation to A Far Cry in 2014, we hope you can take a few minutes to make a contribution now. Without the support of our community, we wouldn't have so many lovely highlights to share with you. Thank you!

Featured Video: In C with Urbanity Dance

Enjoy our latest live collaboration with Boston's innovative dance company.

Tune in TONIGHT at 8pm Eastern Time for the live stream of 1964...

Tonight: A Far Cry travels back in time...

Trading Spaces

You know the feeling when you enter a space where high-level work is going on that is not in your field. Perhaps it's a lab. A workshop. A board room. A church kitchen. There's a feeling of simultaneous familiarity and curiosity. You can tell how it is used, how often, how lovingly, but not to what end. I never tire of that feeling (and I see it in the eyes of little kids when I let them make sounds on my instrument!)  Yesterday morning, the members of A Far Cry went to go visit Urbanity Dance in their beautiful new studio for our first joint rehearsal. Stepping into the warm mirrored space, with bodies draped all over the floor casually stretching in impossible, eye-popping ways, that indescribable feeling was there in force, unmistakable. 

Musicians and dancers - it's such a complex relationship. So similar and yet worlds apart. When I play with the Boston Ballet orchestra, I'm intimately aware that my music is fueling other people's superb artistry, but from the pit, I can't see anything; I have to trust that what I'm doing is somehow getting through.

This morning's work was going to be one thousand percent different from that experience. Our collaboration is based on Terry Riley's "In C" - a work that allows musicians to improvise their way through the pieces using different musical materials in an ever-shifting swarm or cloud of sound. We had our instruments, and the dancers had their bodies… and before long, they had our bodies too. The Urbanity dancers devised a series of choreographed games to play with us, moving us from one part of the stage to the other, lifting us, racing with us in slow motion, even playing a game of live-action CHESS. 

We were lovingly kicked out of our comfort zone again and again. In this space designed for a kind of work that we as musicians can only guess at, for one morning, we were invited in to play (and be played.) 

Tomorrow night, you'll be part of the action. Whether you're at the concert or tuning in on the livestream, we welcome you, in turn, into our combined space.

- Sarah Darling, violist

Turning 50 is a big deal.

This Friday in Jordan Hall, A Far Cry is holding a gigantic birthday party for three amazing pieces that have just reached the half-century mark. And since all parties are better with friends, we asked the amazing artists at Urbanity Dance to join the celebration and collaborate with us again, in 1964!

Many of you recall our concert with Urbanity last year. It was a wonderful creative high point for both organizations, and there's a nice mini-documentary about it here:

"Chemistry" A Far Cry and Urbanity Dance from Urbanity Dance on Vimeo.

This time, we begin the concert with pure music. The first half of the program is a haunting reminder of the musical legacy on the other side of the Iron Curtain: an amazing, nearly unknown, symphony by Mieczysław Weinberg (you can read more about him here!) and a string orchestra version of Shostakovich's Tenth Quartet, that was actually dedicated to Weinberg. This is dark, tortured, but also transcendent and unforgettable music.

The second half, with Urbanity, features Terry Riley's freewheeling minimalist masterpiece In C—and the result is pure joy. Choreographer Betsi Graves has shared some notes about what to expect:

In choreographing In C, I decided to riff on Riley's themes of play and spontaneity. In the spirit of play, the dancers have a series of improv games folded into set phrases. The dancers listen for musical cues when they hear phrases become dominant, and at other times take cues off the Criers. The rehearsal process was collaborative: with wide-eyed curiosity we improvised dance games like flocking, moving sculptures, and even a human chess match. It becomes a kerfuffled maze of physical and audible games. When the players are highly trained dancers and musicians, the results are these beautiful, tragically fleeting moments that take your breath away and leave you craving the next encounter.

We can't wait to bring this amazing art to you. If you don't have tickets yet—now's the time! Last year, this show sold out!

For those of you who like a little extra challenge, we invite you to "dress for 1964"—there just might be a prize for the best costume of the night!

And for those of you who are not able to be there in person, remember: all our Jordan Hall concerts are LIVE-STREAMED from our website for $8 at 8 PM EST!

With love and music,

The Criers

PS - Check out this image of In C with the choreographic instructions!