A home for new and unusual music from all corners of the classical genre, brought to you by the power of public media. Second Inversion is a service of Classical KING FM 98.1.
Over the past five years Harry Partch’s orchestra of handmade instruments has become a staple in the Seattle spring concert calendar—among experimental music lovers, at least.
Partch was one of the first 20th century composers to work extensively with microtonal scales, creating dozens of incredible instruments specifically for the performance of his works. Those instruments have been in residence at the University of Washington since 2014, where, under the direction of Charles Corey, students and community members practice and perform on them each spring.
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This year, Corey and his crew of Partch enthusiasts are playing two of Partch’s most ambitious and rarely-performed works: Daphne of the Dunes and The Bewitched. Catch both in concert this week at Meany Hall:
Daphne of the Dunes The ancient Greek myth of Daphne and Apollo is reimagined through the primal rhythms and eerie microtones of Partch’s handmade instruments. His sprawling Daphne of the Dunes (originally composed as a film score) is performed alongside microtonal art songs of the 20th and 21st centuries. Tues, 4/9, 7:30pm, Meany Studio Theater | $10
The Bewitched Music, theatre, and ritual merge in Partch’s radical dance satire The Bewitched. Written as a reaction against the rigidity of modern civilization, the piece explores how we might ultimately find a sense of rebirth through a discovering our ancient past. The Bewitched showcases Partch’s most ambitious writing for the female voice, the piece unfolding across 12 scenes with the instruments dominating the set. Sat, 4/13, 7:30pm, Meany Studio Theater | $10
Interested in learning more? Click here for our photo tour of the Harry Partch Instrumentarium.
Second Inversion and the Live Music Project create a monthly calendar featuring contemporary classical, cross-genre, and experimental performances in Seattle, the Eastside, Tacoma, and places in between!
Keep an eye out for our flyer in concert programs and coffee shops around town. If you’d like to be included on this list, please submit your event to the Live Music Project at least six weeks prior to the event and tag it with “new music.”
Wayward Music Series Concerts of contemporary composition, free improvisation, electroacoustic music, and sonic experiments. This month: dynamic collaborations, deep ecology, and sounds from the end of the world. Various days, 7:30/8pm, Good Shepherd Chapel | $5-$15
Seattle Symphony: Trimpin, Stiefel, & More Equal parts composer and sound sculptor, Trimpin creates sonic installations at the intersection of music and visual art. Hear his work Solo Flute, Eight Pottery Wheels and Assorted Vinyls alongside music of Andrew Stiefel, Leonardo Gorosito, Rafael Alberto, and Igor Stravinsky. Tues, 4/2, 7:30pm, Octave 9 | $20
Emerald City Music: Dreamers’ Circus Classical music meets Nordic folk song in this globe-trotting Scandinavian trio. Comprised of violin, piano/accordion, and cittern (a lute with a flat back), the trio brings together the warmth and nostalgia of acoustic folk music with the subtle complexities of the classical tradition. Fri, 4/5, 8pm, 415 Westlake | $45 Sat, 4/6, 7:30pm, The Minnaert Center (Olympia) | $20-$25
Dreamers’ Circus. Photo by Kristoffer Juel Poulsen.
James Falzone: The Already & The Not Yet Reflecting on his past three years living in Seattle, composer and clarinetist James Falzone offers a meditation on his long-running solo work, Sighs Too Deep for Words. Plus: new music composed for Tao Trio featuring Falzone alongside pianist Wayne Horvitz and bassist Abbey Blackwell. Sat, 4/6, 8pm, Good Shepherd Chapel | $5-$15
Third Coast Percussion: ‘Perpetulum’ Philip Glass’s first and only piece for percussion ensemble receives its Pacific Northwest premiere in the capable hands of Third Coast Percussion, who commissioned the piece last year. A handful of the ensemble’s own original Glass-inspired works complete the program. Sun, 4/7, 6pm, Nordstrom Recital Hall | $22
Third Coast Percussion.
Harry Partch Ensemble: ‘Daphne of the Dunes’ The ancient Greek myth of Daphne and Apollo is reimagined through the primal rhythms and eerie microtones of Harry Partch’s handmade instruments. His sprawling Daphne of the Dunes (originally composed as a film score) is performed alongside microtonal art songs of the 20th and 21st centuries. Tues, 4/9, 7:30pm, Meany Studio Theater | $10
Harry Partch Ensemble: ‘The Bewitched’ Music, theatre, and ritual merge in Harry Partch’s radical dance satire The Bewitched. Written as a reaction against the rigidity of modern civilization, the piece explores how we might ultimately find a sense of rebirth through a discovering our ancient past. The tale unfolds across 12 scenes played out on Partch’s collection of handmade microtonal instruments. Sat, 4/13, 7:30pm, Meany Studio Theater | $10
Harry Partch’s Chromelodeon. Photo by Maggie Molloy.
Music of Today: Performing with the Brain Performers can create music without movement thanks to a new brain computer music interface developed at the University of Washington. Patients with motor disability improvise with professional musicians in this performance led by composers Juan Pampin and Richard Karpen and neuroscientist Thomas Deuel. Fri, 4/19, 7:30pm, Meany Studio Theater | FREE
Seattle Symphony: ‘Surrogate Cities’ Man, machine, and the modern metropolis are the major themes behind Heiner Goebbels’ new multimedia work Surrogate Cities. Like the city itself, the music is a sprawling blur of human and machine-made sounds enhanced with striking visual effects. Get a sneak preview of Goebbels’ immersive chamber works performed in Octave 9, and hear Surrogate Cities in the main hall over the weekend. Mon, 4/22, 7:30pm, Octave 9 | $25 Thurs, 4/25, 7:30pm, Benaroya Hall | $22-$122 Fri, 4/26, 8pm, Benaroya Hall | $22-$122
Philip Glass: ‘Hydrogen Jukebox’ The pulsing minimalism of Philip Glass and the countercultural activism of Beat poet Allen Ginsberg combine in Hydrogen Jukebox, a 1990 chamber opera reflecting on issues of war, peace, social equity, and sustainability. The UW Vocal Theatre Workshop performs the Northwest Premiere under the direction of Cyndia Siden, Dean Williamson, and Deanne Meek. 4/26-4/27, 7:30pm, Meany Studio Theater | $10
Ladies Musical Club: Northwest Composers Pacific Northwest composers are celebrated in this wide-ranging concert of chamber music featuring works by Karen P. Thomas, Alex Shapiro, Sarah Mattox, and many more. Sat, 4/27, 7pm, Music Center of the NW | FREE
Seattle Symphony: American Horizons Composer-in-Residence Derek Bermel curates an evening of music ranging from Steve Reich to Mary Kouyoumdjian, with world premieres by Kaley Lane Eaton and Bermel himself composed specifically for the immersive new Octave 9 space. Sun, 4/28, 6pm, Octave 9 | $35
Seattle Modern Orchestra: ‘Coming Together’ Frederic Rzewski’s hypnotic classic Coming Together uses text adapted from a prison letter written by Sam Melville, an anarchist bomber who was killed during the Attica Prison uprising in 1971. The harrowing piece is performed here alongside politically-charged works by Christian Wolff. Sun, 4/28, 7:30pm, The Royal Room | $10-$20
Paul Taub: Landscape with Birds Flute music from across three continents is presented in this program exploring the instrument’s wide range of techniques and influences. Paul Taub, who recently retired from nearly four decades of teaching at Cornish, performs music of Pēteris Vasks, Toru Takemitsu, Bun-Ching Lam, Robert Aitken, Janice Giteck, and more. Tues, 4/30, 7pm, Folio | $20
For the past 10 years the Big Ears Festival in Knoxville, Tennessee has been bringing together composers, performers, and curious listeners from around the globe for an annual weekend of exhilarating and ear-expanding music. From ambient to electric, eclectic, experimental, and avant-garde, the festival showcases over 100 genre-bending artists each year in a celebration of the sheer delight and diversity of new music.
Second Inversion is thrilled to be attending this year’s festival. Keep an eye out for our very own Maggie Molloy at the event, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for updates! In the meantime, check out our list of six can’t-miss living legends performing at this year’s festival.
Meredith Monk:
For nearly six decades, Meredith Monk has redefined and revolutionized contemporary vocal music and performance, weaving in elements of theatre and dance to create visceral musical experiences. At this year’s festival, catch her with her vocal ensemble performing Cellular Songs, a multimedia work exploring biological processes, genetic mutation, and the ways in which millions of tiny little cells can come together to form something extraordinary.
Friday, March 22, 9:15pm, Bijou Theatre Saturday, March 23, 12pm, Bijou Theatre
Art Ensemble of Chicago:
Over the past half-century the Art Ensemble of Chicago has grown beyond a mere band and into a way of life—a collective musical ethos that transcends the individual members of the group. Founded with the motto “Great Black Music: Ancient to Future,” the group draws from musical traditions across history and around the globe. Their live performances are a revelation: their wildly experimental brand of avant-jazz further amplified by loudly colored costumes and face paint. Catch them live this Sunday.
Sunday, March 24, 8:15pm, Tennessee Theatre
Kayhan Kalhor:
Kayhan Kalhor is a modern master of an ancient instrument: the
kamancheh, an upright Iranian fiddle with a melancholic tone and a rich musical
history. As a soloist and a member of Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road Ensemble, he has
spent his career traversing international borders and transcending musical
boundaries. This Saturday, hear him in an intimate solo performance that takes
traditional Persian music in new directions—and Sunday, catch him in a
cross-genre collaboration with Brooklyn Rider.
Saturday, March 23, 6pm, Church Street United Methodist Church (solo) Sunday, March 24, 5pm, Bijou Theatre (with Brooklyn Rider)
Joan La Barbara:
Joan La Barbara has spent the past 50 years exploring the furthest reaches of the human voice. A pioneer of extended vocal techniques, her acrobatic vocal stylings range from multiphonics to shrieks, squeaks, whispers, wails, moans, drones, and a whole slew of sounds you didn’t even know humans could make. Hear her singular voice live when she performs her own original works on Thursday, and come back Friday to hear her sing music of Alvin Lucier with the Ever Present Orchestra.
Thursday, March 21, 8pm, St. John’s Episcopal Cathedral (solo) Friday, March 22, 1pm, Bijou Theatre (music of Alvin Lucier)
Alvin Lucier:
Alvin Lucier has spent his 60-year career exploring not only music but the ways in which we experience sound itself. His historic compositions experiment with the resonance of spaces, the physical properties of sound, and the manipulation of auditory perception. This Friday, Joan La Barbara and the Ever Present Orchestra perform music from across his career—and on Sunday Lucier performs some of his own original works (including his landmark 1969 sonic exploration I am Sitting in a Room).
Friday, March 22, 1pm, Bijou Theatre (with Joan La Barbara) Sunday, March 24, 1pm, Ann & Steve Baily Hall at the KMA (solo)
Wadada Leo Smith:
“Creative music” is the descriptor Wadada Leo Smith has given to his expansive body of works. Over the past five decades, the trumpeter has cultivated his own inimitable musical language (and notation) informed by jazz and world music histories but deeply rooted in the present moment. This Saturday, he performs solo meditations on the music of Thelonious Monk—and on Sunday he teams up with two former bandmates to play Divine Love, an ethereal and immersive trumpet and percussion suite first released in 1978.
Saturday, March 23, 2pm, The Standard (solo) Sunday, March 24, 6:15pm, Tennessee Theatre (“Divine Love”)
The Big Earts Festival is March 21-24 in Knoxville, Tennessee. For tickets and more information, click here.
Mason Bates takes you inside the life and legacy of one of the greatest minds of the digital age in The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs, an opera exploring the intersections of technology, spirituality, and ambition.
The Seattle Opera just wrapped up its production of the Grammy Award-winning work last weekend, but you’ve still got one more chance to hear it: this Saturday, Classical KING FM 98.1 is broadcasting a live recording of the performance. Tune in on the radio or online from anywhere in the world this Saturday, March 16 at 8pm PT.
And in the meantime, step behind the scenes in this special crossover episode of Classical Classroom and the Seattle Opera Podcast! Second Inversion host Dacia Clay talks with Mason Bates about the place where classical music meets technology—and why this distinctly 21st century story lends itself to an operatic retelling.
For more backstage coverage (including costumes, libretto, technology, and more), check out the Seattle Opera Podcast, hosted by Seattle Opera dramaturg Jonathan Dean.
Classical KING FM 98.1 broadcasts Seattle Opera’s production of The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs this Saturday, March 16 at 8pm PT. Click here to tune in.
In celebration of International Women’s Day on March 8, we’re featuring a 24-hour marathon of women composers on Second Inversion. Tune in all day long to hear works by over 200 women who have helped shape, inspire, and expand the world of classical music.
Why women composers?
For much of classical music history, socially-prescribed gender roles excluded women from participating in composition. Women were denied access to musical resources, financial patronage, art and music networks, and performance and publication opportunities.
It had far reaching effects: what we now consider the Western classical music canon solidified around the music of white men, and even in the 21st century concert programs are still overwhelmingly dominated by the music of male composers. According to a survey of 89 American symphony orchestras, women composers accounted for only 1.7 percent of the total pieces performed in the 2015-2016 concert season.
Research conducted by the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. Infographic by Rachel Upton and Ricky O’Bannon.
Second Inversion is working to help balance the scales. We’re proud to feature music by women composers today and every day on our 24/7 online stream and web publication.
Franghiz Ali-Zadeh: Music for Piano (Nonesuch Records)
Azerbaijani composer Franghiz Ali-Zadeh performs this solo piano piece, but with some prepared piano sorcery she manages to create the illusion of a duet. Just before sitting down to record, she draped her necklace over the middle range of the piano strings, making it sound like a string instrument called a tar (similar to a lute) that her father played. Music for Piano is a bold fusion of the traditional music of her homeland and adventurous experimental music of the present. The way she draws from her culture adds a philosophical and mysterious tinge to this lovely piano composition. – Rachele Hales
Pauline Oliveros: Suiren (New Albion Records)
“Listen to everything all the time and remind yourself when
you are not listening,” Pauline Oliveros said in her 1998 keynote address at
the ArtSci98 symposium. Over 20 years later, those words have come to
encapsulate the astonishing legacy left behind by this pioneer of experimental
and electronic art music.
During today’s marathon I’m excited to share Suiren, a piece of hers that was created and recorded in a massive cistern on the northeastern tip of the Olympic Peninsula here in Washington. Using nothing but their voices, a garden hose, and the cistern’s famous 45-second reverb, Oliveros and her Deep Listening Band craft a quiet, meditative soundscape that lulls you straight into sonic hypnosis. – Maggie Molloy
I lived in Houston for most of my life, and one of my favorite places there was the Rothko Chapel. The peace of the Chapel is thick and indifferent—an atmosphere created in large part by the giant Rothko paintings on all of the walls. For lots of reasons, it’s a place a I love and return to.
When Madeleine Cocolas moved to New York City, the Metropolitan Museum of Art was that kind of place for her—a place she loved and found herself returning to. Her album Metropolitan is a tribute to the museum. She took her nine favorite pieces from the Met and used software to analyze those visual works and turn them into sound. She then incorporated the sounds generated by the software into her compositions. For Rothko, No. 16, she represents the four major colors in Rothko’s piece with four chords, and the pitch of each note in her piece is determined by the intensity of the color.
Cocolas’s Rothko, No. 16 is happy and bright and weird and full of life. I love it and plan to return to it often. – Dacia Clay
Second Inversion’s 24-Hour Marathon of Women Composers is streaming worldwide all day on Friday, March 8. Click here to listen.
