Y O T A M H A B E R B L O G
1/13/2011
Ari Mintz for the New York Times
Amazing concert on 1/11/11 at Baryshnikov Arts Center with the Knights and Christina Courtin! I was so thrilled with the energy and conviction the players emanated. Aside from my NEW GHETTO MUSIC, the concert was beautifully programmed --all works grappling in some way with the past: delicate arrangements of Schubert songs by C. Jacobsen and Llojva; Pulcinella (spectacularly played, hadn't heard this in years, and was so happy to become reacquainted with this tremendous, deft masterpiece); and Colin Jacobsen and Siamak Aghaei's infectious, spectacularly orchestrated arrangement of a Persian folk song, Ascending Bird.
Read Steve Smith's review in the New York Times here.
12/27/2010
Finished writing NEW GHETTO MUSIC for The Knights and Christina Courtin, a Meet the Composer commission. I am very excited for rehearsals to begin -- perhaps my most ambitious work, a jigsaw puzzle of a piece, in some ways the most straightforward thing I've ever written, in other ways, the most complex. I've included my program notes below:
New Ghetto Music continues my series of works based on the music of the Roman Jewish tradition. In 2008, I came across nearly ten hours of reel-to-reel tapes of Roman cantors chanting, captured in the 1940-60s by Leo Levi, an Italian ethnomusicologist. These recordings captivated me, with stoic, iron voices seemingly encapsulating more than two thousand years of history since Jews first set foot in Rome. This piece, however, deals more loosely than my other works with a literal history, and instead deals with a notion of ghetto. Thus, what we hear first is not strictly Jewish music, but rather a nod to the exuberant, hypnotic wildness of Sardinian Tenores singing. As Christina Courtin approaches the orchestra, singing and playing the violin, I felt compelled to use this ancient, rugged music to create a sort of ritual for beginning, for setting the stage, and for fusing two things (cultures, musics, timbres) into one.
Once the orchestra fully engages, we hear a charged set of interludes, ruminations, variations, deconstructions, and constructions mostly all based on one liturgical melody, or piyyut, whose glowing, swaying melody grabbed my attention, with its ineffable sadness and joy. Rather than using the original Hebrew poetry (most likely written in the 11th century), I asked Christina Courtin and my friend, the poet Barbara Ras, to write a new text, reflecting on the original meaning and interpreting it in a personally meaningful way.
This piece was made possible through the generosity of Meet the Composer Commissioning Music/USA Program, the Marlot Foundation, and Jane and Bernie Frischer. Thanks also to Simone Ghetti for creating the electronic component of this work. I am indebted to the extraordinary efforts and collaborative spirit of The Knights, Eric Jacobsen, and Christina Courtin.
4/16/2010
Just started working at MATA - very exciting!
June 2008
American Academy in Rome
The past few whirwind days have been the culmination of our time at the Academy - Trustee�s Week - devoted to guided walks and lectures by scholars, a dance presentation by Molissa Fenley, open studios from artists and architects, readings by Junot Diaz (read by John Guare) and Sarah Manguso, and the final concert featuring the work of the two composer Fellows.
Although we don�t officially get kicked out of the building until August 1, the year�s activities are over and the long dinner table in the jasmine-scented courtyard becomes shorter daily as Fellows and Residents trickle back home.
The very last crop of Residents have arrived, including John Corigliano and Mark Adamo, staying for a few weeks and giving us a half-hearted illusion that our year is still chugging along like it always was.
Rome is now becoming hot, humid and full of tourists � so many that one thinks twice before descending from our serene Gianicolo hill down to reality.
It has been an extraordinary year; challenging, sometimes maddening. But it was also incredibly intense, gratifying, and unforgettable. Every day and every meal was an experience, both culinarily and intellectually, as I encountered scholars and artists that opened my eyes to new ways of thinking, of seeing, of hearing, of learning.
In the next two months I�ll be working on several new commissions, giving a lecture about my music in Umbria, traveling for performances of my string quartet in Venice and Sardegna, and taking the opportunity to see some European cities I�ve never seen before.
I know that I�ve built lasting, extraordinary friendships, and created ties to a magical city that will remain with me for a lifetime.
September 2007
American academy in Rome
September was a roller coaster of events, lunches, dinners, cocktail
parties, exhibits, guided walks around the city, and introductions to
some of the most interesting people I've ever met.
Courtyard, American Academy in Rome
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