Orchestra Underground: Border Vanguards Composer Spotlight – Marcos Balter

Composer Portrait: Marcos Balter

Praised by The Chicago Tribune as "minutely crafted" and "utterly lovely" and The New York Times as "whimsical" and "surreal," the music of composer Marcos Balter (b.1974, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) has been featured at ACO’s SONiC Festival in 2011, Lincoln Center's Mostly Mozart Festival, Chicago Symphony Orchestra's MusicNOW, Köln Philharmonie, New World Symphony Center, Teatro de Madrid, Tokyo Bunka Kaykan, Teatro Amazonas, Morgan Library, Le Poisson Rouge, and the Museum of Contemporary Art of Chicago, among others. Here he tells us about his piece Favela, which ACO will premiere during Orchestra Underground: Border Vanguards on April 4, 2014 at Carnegie Hall. 

American Composers Orchestra: What inspired your work, Favela? 

Marcos Balter: It really came from the word itself. Favela is the Brazilian word for shantytowns. Although the term was coined after a Brazilian plant, I could never separate it in my head from the Latin word fabola (story). That always made me think of the many individual stories within a favela that we don’t hear, and of the actual nature of a shantytown: a community formed by circumstances rather than will, often created from found objects that are piled together until they make sense as world. This idea of artificial oneness and how we all figuratively live in favelas was really my main source of inspiration. 

ACO: How would you describe your composition process for the work? 

MB: Gruesome! I usually spend a lot of time thinking of the idea behind a work. That can take many months, even years sometimes. And, I don’t start writing until I can hear the music in my head, but then the piece is born very quickly. But, while I had the concept down early on, I just couldn’t hear music coming from it. I was about to change the concept itself when one day it just hit me at once that I was approaching it wrongly. I was trying to find linear strategies when the lack of lines was actually my only hope to create the illusion of one as I wanted. Once my head started thinking of how to fragment things rather than unifying them, everything else made sense, and the work was finally born.

ACO: Did you encounter any unusual challenges in writing this work? If so what were they and how did you resolve them?  

MB: When ACO invited me to write a new work, they told me it would be premiered in a concert focused on Latin America. And, that on itself was an interesting challenge for me. For as long as I can remember, I have refrained from using stereotypically Brazilian artifices in my music since this practice has political and economical tones I do not approve, especially when programmed abroad.  At the same time, I couldn’t be any prouder of my country and my cultural heritage. I really wanted to find a way to acknowledge it without cheapening or stereotyping it. So, rather than running away from it, I decided to dive into all these stereotypes head first, loading myself with paradigms and then trying to untie them from their usual connotations. So, the work is full of elements that could be reductively considered Brazilian, but divorcing these elements from their sense of familiarity is what actually fuels the work. My goal was to create a work that one could say “yes, I can see how this was created by a Brazilian artist, but I’m not quite sure why.”

ACO: Is there anything that you hope the audience will get out of listening to your work? Anything in particular that they should listen for?

MB: This is a tricky question… Part of the success of this work is exactly how differently people may listen to it. If you are looking for similarities and symmetries, you will find plenty of it. But, if you listen closely, all these similarities are false, and nothing really remains the same or is as straightforward as it may seem at first. If you listen “from afar,” it’s a very monolithic piece. But, if you focus on the small details, there are a lot of hidden surprises there. It all depends on how invested one is to hear them.

 

Orchestra Underground: Border Vanguards Composer Spotlight – Derek Bermel

ACO Artistic Director Derek Bermel

Grammy-nominated composer and clarinetist Derek Bermel has been widely acclaimed for his creativity, theatricality, and virtuosity. Derek's works draw from a rich variety of musical genres, including classical, jazz, pop, rock, blues, folk, and gospel. Hands-on experience with music of cultures around the world has become part of the fabric and force of his compositional language. Derek currently serves as the Artistic Director of the American Composers Orchestra and was ACO’s Artistic Adviser from 2009-2013. Here he tells us about his piece Mar de Setembro which ACO will perform with Brazilian singer Luciana Souza during Orchestra Underground: Border Vanguards on April 4, 2014 at Carnegie Hall.

American Composers Orchestra: What inspired your work, Mar de Setembro?

Derek Bermel: Andreia Pinto Correia shared with me the work of the great Portuguese poet Eugénio de Andrade (José Fontinhas). I was immediately drawn to the direct lyricism of his language, his bold depictions of the natural world's sensuality. At the time, I was privileged to be serving as Composer-in-Residence with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, and their music director Jeffrey Kahane reacted with great enthusiasm to my idea of setting this poetry. I traveled to Porto in 2010 and met with Andrade's translator of 25 years, Alexis Levitin, who introduced me to Andrade's heir Gervásio Oliveira Moura, and we all spent a wonderful afternoon talking together.

ACO: How would you describe your composition process for the work?

DB: Each song arrived differently. The first one I wrote was "Mar de Setembro," its lyrical rhythm suggesting the continual undulation of the sea; I notated it in short score and sang it while playing it at the piano. The short "Canção" cycles restlessly through two whole harmonic iterations of the circle of fifths, and the xylophone became my nightingale, a far-off descant over the final lines. I orchestrated "Ocultas Águas" directly into full score, away from the piano; it could not have realized in an abbreviated form. "Frutos" took form as a sort of fado/tango, a cabaret song with bold colors like the tiles of Lisbon. And the introductory prologue on the mysterious poem "Que voz lunar" I wrote last, adding aquaphone as a ghostly accompaniment.

ACO: Did you encounter any unusual challenges in writing this work? If so what were they and how did you resolve them?

DB: I had spent a good amount of time in Brazil, and had even written some chôrinhos. But it was my first time setting text in Portuguese. Throughout this daunting process, my lighthouse on the stormy shore was the magically expressive voice of Luciana Souza. The collaboration with her was nothing short of joyful; her generosity, sensitivity, and attention to detail were paramount, and she inspired me to seek my best compositional self.

ACO: What are you looking forward to about the performance of your piece at Carnegie Hall by ACO?

DB: Of course I am thrilled that Luciana is singing, and George Manahan is a conductor who is so closely attuned to the nuances of the voice and orchestra together, so I am particularly looking forward to this wonderful combination. I have a long history working with the gifted musicians in ACO, so it feels like a family reunion to me.

ACO: Is there anything that you hope the audience will get out of listening to your work? Anything in particular that they should listen for?

DB: I hope that the work can serve Andrade's poetry and I hope that I've helped bring a taste of Portuguese "saudades" (longing) to American shores.

Detroit Symphony EarShot Classical Roots Readings Composer Spotlight – Composer Matthew Evan Taylor

 

Composer Matthew Evan Taylor

Find out in this Q&A with Miami-based composer Matthew Evan Taylor where he got the inspiration for his composition Three Glorious Days and how working with ACO has influenced him. Three Glorious Days will be read at the upcoming New Music Readings with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra on March 9. 

American Composers Orchestra: What was the inspiration for your composition? How have you taken this inspiration and incorporated it into your work that will be read at the Detroit Symphony EarShot Classical Roots Readings?

Matthew Evan Taylor: "Three Glorious Days" was the nickname for the July Revolution of 1830 in France. That same year, Hector Berlioz finished Symphonie Fantastique. In Fantastique, Berlioz depicts that most French of traditions during revolutions–a character is beheaded by guillotine. That musical gesture is the basis for the structure of my Three Glorious Days.

ACO: Since you have been chosen to participate in these Readings, have you furthered developed your composition? How have you been preparing yourself and your work for the Readings?

MET: ACO sent our scores and parts to engraver Bill Holab. He made suggestions on how to make more professional material for the conductor and orchestra, which was very helpful. I also changed the instrumentation slightly. Three Glorious Days originally called for two harps, but for this reading I decided I'd like for one of the harp parts to be celeste instead. I'm looking forward to how that sounds live.

I am thinking of some questions concerning my career going forward, such as how to deal with all of the responsibilities that a composer has–searching for grants, maintaining your web presence, deadlines with ensembles.

ACO: During the readings your work will be workshopped with the help and guidance of Detroit Symphony music director Leonard Slatkin, mentor composers, and DSO musicians. What do you hope to get out of this experience? 

MET: The greatest gift I receive from mentors is advice. I'm looking forward to hearing objective assessments of my work. From the musicians, I always love to hear how to improve my notation to be able to communicate more clearly. From Mr. Slatkin, I'm anxious to hear what he has to say about composing for orchestra in the current climate, and how to build relationships with other ensembles.

ACO: Your composition will be read live to the public during the Readings. Is there anything about the piece that you would like the audience to know about before hearing it? 

MET: This was a fun piece to write and research. I learned some pretty surprising things about French history and the politics at the time. I should also mention that when I wrote this, September 2012, the presidential campaigns were heading into their final stretch. I found the rhetoric challenging the legitimacy of President Obama and the sustainability of the wealth disparity were strangely similar to the July Revolution. In both cases, there were promises of civility once there was a resolution (or election). But, in both cases, the same divisive language and posturing continued. Three Glorious Days reflects this desire for change and catharsis, but things still stay the same.

ACO: You will also taking part in the professional development workshops during the Readings. Is there anything specific that you hope you will learn from attending these workshops?

MET: I am really excited about the opportunity. I am interested in learning things that will help me sustain an active career, expand the scope of projects to pursue, and other opportunities available to musicians.

Detroit Symphony EarShot Classical Roots Readings Composer Spotlight – Composer Jonathan Bailey Holland

Composer Jonathan Bailey Holland

For composer Jonathan Bailey Holland, participating in the upcoming Detroit Symphony EarShot Classical Roots Readings will be a continuation of his professional relationship with the DSO, which stretches back to the tenure of former music director Neeme Jarvi in the early 1990s. Find out in this Q&A with Jonathan how the landmarks of the city of Chicago inspired his composition Shards of Serenity, which will be read at the upcoming Readings on March 9.

American Composers Orchestra: What was the inspiration for your composition? How have you taken this inspiration and incorporated it into your work that will be read at the Detroit Symphony EarShot Classical Roots Readings? 

Jonathan Bailey Holland: Commissioned by the Chicago Sinfonietta in partnership with the Chicago Architectural Foundation, Shards of Serenity is one of four movements that make up the work ChiScapes, a collaborative composition celebrating the architectural landmarks of the city of Chicago. In addition to my composition, ChiScapes includes movements composed by Armando Bayolo, Christopher Rogerson and Vivian Fung – each movement corresponding to a different building. The Chicago Sinfonietta premiered the work on June 8, 2013, with Mei-Ann Chen conducting. The landmark that I chose was Mies van der Rohe’s Crown Hall, on the campus of IIT.   Many who have actually been inside of the structure comment on the serenity experienced both inside and out. I can imagine feeling serene in such a large, open structure in which natural light streams through the ceiling to floor windows that envelope the entire building. Undoubtedly light streams in through all of the windows at various times of day in many different ways. With no internal walls to direct the journey through the building, a visitor would likely be forced to confront their physical location and presence at whatever location they found themselves within the building. Perhaps initially one’s attention would be drawn upwards since the glass at eye level is translucent, while the glass above eye level is transparent. And, again at least initially, I would imagine there is a moment of disorientation – an uncertainty about where to focus. Eventually a visitor would find their bearings, creating their own personal experience in the space. Shards of Serenity is a sonic representation of this type of experience, with the sounds being inspired by the physicality of the open space.

ACO: Since you have been chosen to participate in these Readings, have you furthered developed your composition? How have you been preparing yourself and your work for the Readings?

JBH: I have ideas for expanding the work, but I have not yet had the time to do so. I hope to return to it someday in the near future. As for preparing for the reading, I am looking forward to returning to work with the Detroit Symphony. I had several pieces performed by them during Neeme Jarvi's tenure as music director there. In 1993, I participated in the Unisys African American Composers Competition and National Forum. My work Martha's Waltz was one of the finalist compositions, and while I didn't win, Maestro Järvi took a liking to my music. Two years later I came back as a co-composer in residence with the Unisys program (along with Anthony Davis), composing a concert opening work, visiting several Detroit area schools, and serving on a panel discussion with other composers and artists, including Nikki Giovanni. In 2003, when the newly updated and expanded Max M Fisher center opened, my work Motor City Dance Mix was the very first work performed at the gala opening. The Detroit Symphony has been a major part of my compositional career and development, and I am excited to return after many years.  

ACO: During the readings your work will be workshopped with the help and guidance of Detroit Symphony music director Leonard Slatkin, mentor composers, and DSO musicians. What do you hope to get out of this experience? 

JBH: The opportunity for feedback from Maestro Slatkin and the mentor composers is a great opportunity. As a composer, it is hard to get perspective on your own music, and the opportunity to have other knowledgeable and experienced ears hear and assess my work is necessary.  

ACO: Your composition will be read live to the public during the Readings. Is there anything about the piece that you would like the audience to know about before hearing it? 

JBH: I would hope that the audience knows the story behind the creation of the work and the connection to Mies van der Rohe, but even if they don't, I believe the music will hold it's own.  

ACO: You will also taking part in the professional development workshops during the Readings. Is there anything specific that you hope you will learn from attending these workshops?  

JBH: I love writing for the orchestra, and while I have been fortunate enough to have works performed by various orchestras, I have many artistic ideas that I would like to bring to fruition and share with orchestras and audiences, as well as sharing my pre-existing work. As an educator and composer and generally busy person, the opportunities for focus solely on my own professional development are less frequent than I would like. Hopefully these workshops will generate ideas for how do more of all of this.