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| David Felder photo by Irene Haupt |
The Center for 21st Century Music is thrilled to announce to
the world that the premiere of David Felder’s Les Quatre Temps Cardinaux, commissioned by the Koussevitzky Foundation,
will be premiered at the University at Buffalo’s Slee Hall at 7:00 p.m. by a
large assortment of musicians – not only the SIGNAL Ensemble with a variety of guests
which total to a 35-piece orchestra, but also soprano Laura Aikin, bass baritone Ethan Herschenfeld, and 12 channels of electronics. We spoke to Felder about Les Quatre Temps Cardinaux last year,
which is based on, among other texts, the writings of the esoteric French poet of René Dumaul. You can read our feature interview with him about his thoughts on the piece here. Also, please check out his new wikipedia page here.
The Buffalo News has issued a great press release, written by
Patricia Donovan, featured below:
British music critic Hans-Theodor Wohlfahrt has written of
composer David Felder that “he combines his deep knowledge of the past and the
present with a constant searching on a philosophical, human and musical level –
a Gustav Mahler for the 21st century."
Felder, PhD, SUNY Distinguished Professor and Birge-Cary
Chair in Composition at the University at Buffalo, is an internationally
acclaimed composer of contemporary music, with his works known for their highly
energetic profile, lyrical qualities, and his use of technological extension
for the elaboration of musical materials.
His work masterfully combines widely ranging materials in surprising way,
achieving a new synthesis.
On April 23, the UB Office of the President and the Robert
and Carol Morris Center for 21st Century Music at UB will present the world
premiere of Felder’s “Les Quatres Temps Cardinaux,” a complex song cycle for
two solo voices, a 35-piece orchestra and 12 channels of electronics. It represents the pairing of the
composer with two celebrated performers: dynamic soprano Laura Aikin, and bass
baritone Ethan Herschenfeld.
Felder wrote the piece specifically for their voices.
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| Ensemble SIGNAL |
The April 23 concert will begin at 7 p.m. in Lippes Concert
Hall, Slee Hall, UB North Campus.
Advance tickets are available at the UB Center for the Arts
box office 716-645-ARTS (716-645-2787). Prices are $12 (general public), $9
(alumni, faculty, staff and seniors), and $5 for students.
Tickets also may be purchased at the Slee Hall box office on
the night of the performance and will be $20 (general public), $15 (alumni,
faculty, staff and seniors) and $8 (students). The box office number is
716-645-2921.
The premiere will be the focal point of a two-day program
that marks the start of a new university tradition, which President Tripathi is
introducing as a way to celebrate the university community’s rich and thriving
legacy of innovation and distinction in the arts and letters. Other programming being held as part of
this celebration include a rehearsal open to the campus and local community; a
brown bag lunch discussion with the composer, conductor, and musicians; a panel
discussion with faculty and students focusing on the interpretation of texts as
works of art; and an alumni-sponsored reception and Q&A with the composer
and performers.
“UB has a long and storied tradition of creative excellence
and innovation at the vanguard of the arts,” said UB Satish K. Tripathi.
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| Laura Aikin |
“This event is a wonderful opportunity to shine a spotlight
on some of the outstanding individuals who embody this tradition, from David
Felder’s visionary achievements in contemporary composition, to the expression
of that vision by world-renowned alumni like Laura Aikin and the distinguished
faculty performing in the Slee Sinfonietta, to poets like the late Robert
Creeley, whose voices are woven into the performance in surprising and
remarkable ways. I am very much
looking forward to what will surely be an evening to remember.”
The program will open with “Tweener,” a 2010 Felder
composition for solo percussion, electronics and large chamber ensemble. The soloist will be Thomas Kolor,
assistant professor of music at UB and one of the country’s top young specialists
in late 20 century American percussion music.
The orchestra for both compositions will comprise ensembles
dedicated to the presentation of contemporary chamber orchestral music, the
acclaimed Ensemble Signal, conducted by world-renowned Brad Lubman, and the
Slee Sinfonietta, the flagship professional chamber orchestra of the Morris
Center.
Both works employ electronics, with “Tweener” utilizing the
KAT mallet controller as an addition to the wide variety of traditional
percussion instruments that make up the battery of resources used in the solo
part.
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| Ethan Herschenfeld |
One of the most important elements of “Les Quatres…” is the
poetry that Felder has incorporated into the piece. It includes the eponymous “Les Quatres Temps Cardinaux,” a
poem composed by French poet René Daumal near the end of his life.
Daumal’s early career emphasized the conversion of poetry
into a form of theater in which speech, gestures, breath, voice stops and other
elements of performance form a totality.
“Later,” says Felder, “after his contact with ancient Hindu
texts that detail the aesthetic purposes of poetry and theater, Daumal
reconsidered his purpose, and his late poetry is simple, profound and
luminescent. ‘Les Quatre Temps
Cardinaux’ is one of his last two poems, and alludes to times of the day, the
four elements, the four seasons and the four corresponding ages of life,
emphasizing the trans-personal.
We’re excited that such a large, complex, and deeply
thought-out work from an innovative American composer and commissioned by a highly respected commissioning foundation can be
featured at our very own Slee Hall and feature such respected performers and
musicians. Tickets will be limited and in high-demand, so please reserve yours in advance. Hope to see you there!
Les Quatre Temps Cardinaux
April 23, 2013, 7:00 p.m. in Lippes Concert Hall, Slee Hall,
UB North Campus.
Advance tickets at the UB Center for the Arts box office: 716-645-2787
General Public: $12
Alumni, Faculty, Staff, Seniors: $9
Students: $5
Night of the performance:
General public: $20
Alumni, Faculty, Staff, Seniors: $15
Students: $8
Contact the Slee box office at 716-645-2921.
Link to this post here.
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