Synchromy presents zōdiacus
With Brightwork newmusic and baritone Scott Graff
Featuring excerpts from, and music inspired by Karlheinz Stockhausen’s Tierkreis paired with world premieres by Adam Borecki, Ethan Braun and Vicki Ray and U.S. Premieres by Mikhail Krutik and Vera Ivanova. Opening with works by John Luther Adams and Tom Flaherty
In a program that starts with the geography of time and explores Inner States, Synchromy and Brightwork newmusic join with baritone Scott Graff to explore the mysteries of the constellations with excerpts from Karlheinz Stockhausen’s zodiac-inspired Tierkreis. Originally written for music boxes, Tierkreis has been arranged for Brightwork’s “pierrot-plus-percussion” instrumentation with baritone voice. Stockhausen’s original German texts are paired with his English translations (lightly revised by Annie Jankowski) for this presentation. This is the first part of a planned full cycle of Tierkreis related works by Los Angeles composers planned for next year.
The program will open with John Luther Adams’ Red Arc/Blue Veil. It is the first piece in a projected cycle exploring the geometry of time and color—what Kandinsky called "those inner sounds that are the life of the colors." It features Brightwork’s Aron Kallay on piano and Nick Terry on percussion. It will be followed by Tom Flaherty’s Inner States, premiered earlier this year by Brightwork for their full ensemble plus electronics. Flaherty, who is a member of Synchromy’s Board of Directors says that the work “reflects, as all music does, inner states that we all experience. Internal States was commissioned by Brightwork newmusic, whose expressive and virtuosic playing were a constant inspiration.”
This concert is the culmination of a day-long residency, where Synchromy composers and members of the ensemble will conduct a master class with Los Angeles City College composition students. Both Synchromy and Brightwork newmusic are dedicated to educational outreach, and look forward to providing the students with the opportunity to have their works read by some of the best performers in the city and receive some detailed feedback and guidance.
Program :
John Luther Adams – Red Arc / Blue Veil
Tom Flaherty – Internal States
intermission
Karlheinz Stockhausen – “Virgo” from Tierkreis
Mikhail Krutik – Virgo – (U.S. Premiere)
Karlheinz Stockhausen – “Scorpio” from Tierkreis
Adam Borecki – Scorpio – (World Premiere)
Karlheinz Stockhausen – “Sagittarius” from Tierkreis
Vera Ivanova – Sagittarius (U.S. Premiere)
Karlheinz Stockhausen – “Taurus” from Tierkreis
Ethan Braun – Taurus (World Premiere)
Karlheinz Stockhausen – “Gemini” from Tierkreis
Vicki Ray – Perpendicular Twins (World Premiere)
