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Obair Pháirce

Obair Pháirce

by Michael Duffy

Joe Peters, oboe; Chris Raddatz, contrabass clarinet; Rebecca Wilson, contrabassoon; Clare Harmon, viola; Baylen Wagner, violoncello

The title Obair Pháirce comes from the Irish Gaelic and translates to “fieldwork.” Over the course of the piece the electronics subject each of the instruments to displacements in time and location. The lingua franca is repetition, often distorted and presented on the micro and macro levels. All of this has a variety of implications as to what it means to be both an American and an American composer.

About Michael: Michael is a composer, improviser, and sonic adventurer.

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July 28, 2010
Music

Interview: Michael Duffy

Colin Holter interviews Michael Duffy.

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On expanding horizons:

A lot of it was through the jazz I’d been listening to since before high school, even. I mentioned Miles Davis. I had an uncle who was a jazz fan and liked old Blue Note stuff—the Italian side of my family from Philadelphia—organ jazz, Joey DeFrancesco. It’s a straight line, in a way, from Miles Davis to Stockhausen. It certainly wasn’t through classical music. I wasn’t playing Pictures at an Exhibition in high school. >>>>

July 27, 2010
Interview

Techno Sine NoMine

Techno Sine NoMine

by Zachary Crockett

stereo fixed media

About Zac: This Minneapolis coder-composer believes that the creation of meaning is the most important human activity.

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July 21, 2010
Music

Interview: Zachary Crockett

Colin Holter interviews Zachary Crockett.

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On meaning:

I think the unique position of artists in human society is that we get to work more explicitly with meaning than anyone else does, so I feel like there’s a really deep moral imperative to pick the right meanings. Artists present something that they hope will shape the world, and it goes both ways—but in either case you can pick out those things that line up with your values and that you want to see more of in the world to present. Things that on the surface are really detestable and gross and horrifying and sick can actually teach us a great deal about ourselves, they can show ways in which we are vulnerable; our vulnerabilities are beautiful places. So there is a certain type of art that I think it’s important to create: It doesn’t have to be didactic, it doesn’t have to be pretty, but there has to be some very large, deep sense that I’m presenting something that’s important for people to see, to hear, to imagine, to react to. We make meaning, and the right thing to do is to choose meanings in accordance with your values. >>>>

July 20, 2010
Interview

It Plays You

It Plays You

by Colin Holter

John Cummins (alto saxes) and Scottie Wright (tenor saxes)

Two ideas informed the speculation that led to It Plays You: first, the somewhat mystical tradition of post-bop virtuosity in which the instrument may be said to be playing the performer rather than vice versa; second, the media furore that holds popular entertainment such as music, cinema, and video games responsible for the criminal behavior of children. The confluence of these ideas lies in the uncertain freedom of ostensibly free play.

About Colin: Colin is a composer and writer on music based in Minneapolis.

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July 14, 2010
Music

Interview: Colin Holter

Brett Wartchow interviews Colin Holter.

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On tasteless music:

There’s a little bit of a thrill about writing music that’s a little bit tasteless but that looks like contemporary music. One of the things that it’s taken me a while to do is write tasteless music. I’m really kind of invested in that now. If there’s one thing I would say for my music in the past three years, I would hope that I’m more willing to violate taboos now than I was before. I’m certainly more willing to be gaudy and tacky, as a composer, than I used to be, and in fact I think it’s really important for me to do that. Because, again, in order to identify these contradictions in culture you have to be willing to use the words. You have to be willing to cite the material that you’re identifying contradictions in, and that requires sometimes being tacky. >>>>

July 13, 2010
Interview

Lost

by Richard Yates

Scotty Horey (perc.) and Clay Whitney (perc.)

About Richard: Richard is a master’s student at the University of Minnesota studying composition and recently finishing his degree in choral conducting.

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July 7, 2010
Music

Interview: Richard Yates

Colin Holter interviews Richard Yates.

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On getting started:

I started writing music when I started playing piano; I think that was the first time, and it must be because of my piano teacher. She must have said, “You can just write what comes to mind, too; you don’t necessarily have to sing what’s on the paper.” And in elementary choirs and things like that, we probably had improvisational kinds of exercises. I can’t remember a specific point where it was like, “Now I will write music;” I think it was always a part of the music-making that we were doing. I don’t know that that’s necessarily typical. I guess in high school, at some point, I started writing music for the choir, so I wrote a few pieces that were performed while I was a junior and senior in high school. I think I also started writing some instrumental music around that time too. I guess when I was little I would do a lot of improvising at the piano and singing and things, and driving my parents crazy. And my brother. >>>>

July 6, 2010
Interview

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