New UB Office of the President Signature Series kicks off with David Felder's Les Quatre Temps Cardinaux April 23!

Les Quatre Temps Cardinaux World Premiere

We're very excited to announce the World Premiere of David Felder's Les Quatre Temps Cardinaux, which will be part of a two day series of events presented by the University at Buffalo Office of the President. The events will inaugurate the Signature Series, a new university tradition, which President Satish K. Tripathi has introduced to "to celebrate UB's legacy of innovation and distinction in arts and letters." The premiere of the work, commissioned by the Koussevitsky Foundation, will take place on Tuesday, April 23rd, at 7:00 p.m. in Slee Hall, and feature a 30+ chamber orchestra of musicians including the Slee Sinfonietta, Ensemble SIGNAL, soprano Laura Aikin, bass-baritone Ethan Herschenfeld, and ten channels of electronics. Last month's full press release can be found here.

The two days worth of events include an open rehearsal, a luncheon dialogue, a panel discussion, a pre-concert reception, and concludes with the premiere. The complete two-day schedule follows below in the press release from The University at Buffalo Office of the President:

WORLD PREMIERE PRESENTED BY THE UB OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT AND THE ROBERT AND CAROL MORRIS CENTER FOR 21ST CENTURY MUSIC

Tuesday, April 23, 2013 | 7 p.m.

University at Buffalo President
Satish K. Triparthi

LIPPES CONCERT HALL, SLEE HALL, NORTH CAMPUS

The premiere is the focal point of a two-day program that marks the start of a new university tradition called the Signature Series, which President Satish K. Tripathi has introduced to celebrate UB's legacy of innovation and distinction in arts and letters.

An internationally acclaimed composer of contemporary music, David Felder has long been recognized as a leader in his generation of American composers. His works are known for their highly energetic profile, lyrical qualities and for his use of technological extension and elaboration of musical materials. Felder is SUNY Distinguished Professor and Birge-Cary Chair in Composition at UB.

LES QUATRE TEMPS CARDINAUX

“Les Quatre Temps Cardinaux” is a complex song cycle for two solo voices, a 35-piece orchestra and twelve channels of electronics. Commissioned in 2011 for the Serge Koussevitzky Music Foundation in the Library of Congress, “Les Quatre” is dedicated to the memory of Serge and Natalie Koussevitzky. The work was composed from fall 2011 through spring 2013, and was written for Ensemble Signal, The Boston Modern Orchestra Project and the Slee Sinfonietta, and for singers Laura Aikin and Ethan Herschenfeld. Additional support was provided by the Robert and Carol Morris Center for 21st Century Music at UB, the Cameron Baird Foundation, the Birge-Cary Chair at UB, and the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

Ethan Herschenfeld

Schedule of Premiere and Related Events

MONDAY, APRIL 22

2—3:30 PM

Open rehearsal of "Les Quatre"

Open to the public, RSVP requested

Lippes Concert Hall

Join music enthusiasts from UB, other local colleges and schools, and the community as the composer, conductor, vocalists, and ensemble allow the public to observe one of the final rehearsals of "Les Quatre" prior to its world premiere.

Laura Aikin

TUESDAY, APRIL 23

1—2 PM

Luncheon Dialogue: “Inside the Making of ‘Les Quatre Temps Cardinaux’”

Open to the public, registration limited to 60, RSVP required

Slee Lobby

Composer David Felder and others involved in the premiere will hold a lunchtime discussion of the process of bringing "Les Quatre" from conception to fruition. A complimentary light lunch will be provided for all registered participants.

3:30—5 PM

"Textural Signatures": A Panel Discussion

Open to the public, RSVP requested

Baird 250

Slee Sinfonietta
photo by Irene Haupt

Faculty and students from the departments of English, Music, and Theatre and Dance, joined by the biographer of poet René Daumal (whose poetry is musically interpreted in "Les Quatre"), will explore the relationship between texts and the arts, with attention to the particular poems featured in Professor Felder's composition.

5:30—6:45 PM

Pre-concert reception, sponsored by University at Buffalo Alumni Association

Ticketed event limited to 100, RSVP required

Black Box Theater, Center for the Arts

Gather with others prior to the premiere for drinks and hors d'oeuvres, with remarks by E. Bruce Pitman, Dean of UB's College of Arts and Sciences, and composer David Felder (schedule permitting). Reception cost includes admission to the 7pm concert.

Brad Lubman and
 Ensemble SIGNAL

Single Ticket: $30; $25 for UBAA members.

Pair of Tickets: $55; $45 for UBAA members.

7—8:45 PM

Concert

Lippes Concert Hall, Slee Hall

The Slee Sinfonietta presents The Signal Ensemble:

   •  Brad Lubman, conductor

   •  Laura Aikin, soprano

   •  Ethan Herschenfeld, bass-baritone

Program features the world premiere of David Felder's “Les Quatre Temps Cardinaux,” preceded by a performance of Felder's percussion concerto "Tweener."

Advance tickets: $12/$9/$5

Door: $20/$15/$8

Admission is free for UB students with a student ID

Slee Hall: http://www.slee.buffalo.edu/

Link to this post here.

David Felder's Les Quatre Temps Cardinaux premieres at Slee Hall April 23rd!

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.

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.

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.

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.