NEW VIDEOS: Ashley Bathgate from Bang on a Can All-Stars

Posted on February 25, 2015 by maestrobeats

What a treat! Ashley Bathgate from the Bang on a Can All-Stars stopped by our studios before the epic Bang on a Can Marathon at The Moore.

Michael Gordon’s “Light is Calling” was originally written for violinist Todd Reynolds. It juxtaposes an acoustic sound against an electronic track with pulses that are actually being warped backwards. This piece is a response to what happened on September 11, 2001.

Of Jacob Cooper’s “Arches,” Ashley says this is almost like a modern-day prelude to a Bach suite. It’s very pure and simple in its form – a lot of arpeggios and oscillations between the strings. It could be played as an acoustic work, but Jacob designed a max patch that Ashley’s sound goes through, so it’s actually going through an interface into her computer. There’s a gradient delay effect that happens and the piece itself is many small arches within one large arch. It’s a beautiful work and one of her favorite pieces to play.

ALBUM OF THE WEEK: Gabriel Prokofiev: Selected Classical Works 2003-2012

Posted on October 20, 2014 by maestrobeats

By Maggie Molloy

Classical music buffs are typically familiar with the works of 20^th century Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev; but are they familiar with the works of his grandson?

Gabriel Prokofiev is a London-based composer, producer, and founder of the Nonclassical record label. Created in 2004, Nonclassical is an independent record label which is dedicated to the discovery and promotion of new, innovative, forward-thinking classical music. The label’s albums often feature collaborations between classical musicians and producers who typically work in different genres.

The label also hosts club-nights: contemporary classical performances presented in London pubs, rock venues, and nightclubs, with DJs performing between acts. The idea behind club-nights is that they make contemporary classical music more accessible, particularly to a younger audience.

In honor of Nonclassical’s 10^th anniversary, this past August Prokofiev released an album titled “Gabriel Prokofiev: Selected Classical Works 2003-2012.” In keeping with Nonclassical’s mission, the selected compositions feature elements of the Western classical music tradition while also experimenting with innovative new sounds and instrumentation.

Buy it here!

The album begins with the complete recordings of Prokofiev’s String Quartet No. 1 and String Quartet No. 2 performed by the Elysian Quartet. Both pieces utilize rich, percussive rhythms, visceral bow strokes, dense musical textures, and dynamic interplay between voices. Prokofiev tends to favor swelling violin melodies layered over very rhythmic, typically pizzicato backdrops. With each movement, he utilizes the full pitch range of every instrument (as well as every possible style of playing) in order to fully immerse the listener in a unique musical atmosphere.

The quartets are followed by two movements of Prokofiev’s Concerto for Turntables and Orchestra, performed by the Heritage Orchestra and featuring DJ Yoda. If anyone was going to combine the two seemingly separate worlds of hip hop and classical music, Prokofiev is probably the most qualified to do so: the unique concept for this piece is informed by his background as a producer of hip hop, grime, and electro records. The concerto’s dynamic rhythms and dramatic punches are at times reminiscent of Stravinsky—except for, you know, with turntables.

Since his turntable concerto, Prokofiev has further fused hip hop and classical music in a number of other projects. Earlier this year, the Seattle Symphony performed Prokofiev’s orchestral arrangements of Seattle hip hop pioneer Sir Mix-A-Lot’s “Posse on Broadway” and “Baby Got Back.” The Symphony also premiered Prokofiev’s own original Sir Mix-A-Lot-inspired orchestral composition, “Dial 1-900 Mix-A-Lot.”

Though these compositions did not make it onto his compilation album, Prokofiev does feature plenty of other imaginative works. Four selections from his Piano Book No. 1, performed by GéNIA, give the album a slightly softer edge. The pieces seem to explore every pitch of every octave on the piano, ranging from growling bass backdrops to light, whimsical melodies.

The piano pieces are followed by all four movements of Prokofiev’s Cello Multitracks, performed by Peter Gregson. This piece is certainly not your typical cello repertoire: it was written for nine layered cello parts, all of which are intended to be recorded by a single cellist. The piece truly highlights the cello’s unbelievable range, combining even the toughest, grittiest sounds with the most vocal, melodic qualities of the instrument. Plus, hearing numerous layers of the same instrument interweaving with itself also creates a truly unique aural experience.

Prokofiev’s compilation album ends with an excerpt from “Import/Export: Suite for Global Junk” performed by Powerplant. The piece is inspired by musicians and composers from around the globe who use unconventional objects as percussion instruments. The result is a rich array of percussive sounds and echoing rhythms.

From his turntable concerto to his nine-cello suite to his found-objects percussion piece, Prokofiev’s compilation album showcases his ear for experimentation and musical innovation. Regardless of his musical lineage, Gabriel Prokofiev has certainly secured a name for himself as one of London’s most imaginative contemporary composers.

ALBUM OF THE WEEK: Break of Reality’s “TEN”

Posted on September 22, 2014 by maestrobeats

by Maggie Stapleton

Break of Reality is a quartet composed of 3 cellists and a percussionist who perform music ranging from Tool to Radiohead to Bach to their own original compositions inspired by rock, classical, folk, and pop music.

There are a lot of attempts at this genre cross-pollinization these days, but BoR REALLY does it well. This music is genuine and it doesn’t try too hard. Percussionist Ivan Trevino says, “Rock is as much in our blood as classical music. Our music is organic; we’re not doing it as a gimmick to play rock music on the cello. We want our instruments to be respected both in the classical and rock worlds.” Success, I say!

“Ten,” their latest release (buy it here!), is the band’s proudest and most mature record to date. All of the songs are original compositions by cellist Patrick Laird and/or Ivan Trevino and their sound has transitioned from “heavy metal cello band” to a more mellow, classically influenced sound, which comes across very authentically. They also experimented with different microphones and recording techniques and invested in a lot of their own equipment with this album. The result is well-balanced, nuanced, yet totally grooves.

I had the pleasure of talking to Ivan and Patrick about a few of the tracks and learned the following tidbits:

“Star” was written for Patrick Laird’s wife, Marnie, who makes a guest piano appearance on the track.

“Helix” is one of their favorite tunes to perform, with a winding cello riff that travels through all different types of time signatures, leaving one wondering if it’s in 7 or 4. Can you figure it out?

“Six” is the only track on the album that Ivan Trevino wrote all on his own. It was a originally a mallet sextet composed for the Eastman Percussion ensemble. This arrangement is for three cellos, piano, 2 percussionists and features marimba, piano, glockenspiel, and drumset. It has a cinematic, mellow, indie rock flavor, “kind of like Bon Iver meets Steve Reich,” as Ivan puts it.

BoR independently releases all of their records. Trevino recognizes that as a cello band with no singer, their sound doesn’t appeal to a pop music demographic. Rather, they use their niche genre to be 100% in charge of the art. They can take complete control of record sales, keep all of the income from record sales, and have all of the say in the sound and recording process.

Oh, and the sweet cover artwork? It was done by Lauren Yandell, one of Ivan’s high school marching bandmates!

Keep an eye on BoR’s tour schedule and check them out live, if you get a chance. Percussionist Ivan Trevino says Break of Reality’s shows have the energy of rock concerts; the music is memorized which helps communication and interaction with the audience and there are elements of improv. The cellists have more articulate, aggressive, vertical types of bow strokes to get the “rock sound,” while playing with a drummer. However, they always try to bring the unexpected and keep their classical roots at heart and keep the audience guessing what’s going to come next – rock or Bach.

Cheers to you, Break of Reality, for a fantastic new album! We can’t wait to hear what’s next to come.

ALBUM OF THE WEEK: Dublin Guitar Quartet Performs Philip Glass

Posted on September 15, 2014 by maestrobeats

by Rachele Hales

Riddle me this: how is it possible that a woman who doesn’t enjoy minimalist music can fall so hard for Philip Glass? You’ll find the answer in the forty nimble fingers of the Dublin Guitar Quartet. They’ve taken the music of Glass, transcribed it for guitar (a feat in and of itself – even Glass has never dared to try), and from minimalist compositions created such richness of sound that at times I forgot I was listening to only four instruments. What pours out of their guitars sounds near-orchestral. This depth is due in no small part to masterful audio engineering that offers each plucking string a crispness that allows you to really appreciate how flawlessly in unison these artists are.

The album is replete with technical perfection, but my favorite moments are the pockets of sweet, gentle, understated pieces like “String Quartet #5 – Mvt. 1” that make you feel young again. Like, really young. Like you are a sleepy child being lulled to slumber by the sweetness of your mother whisper-singing in your ear except her voice is like a quiet harp. The piece practically glows! It’s beautiful.

Even the moments of wild strumming, like in “String Quartet #2 – Company Mvt II,” have a distinct delicate and lyrical quality. It’s easy to forget you’re listening to four guitars and not one.

Each selection on this disc was transcribed with care, played tightly, and packed with emotion. It’s a true celebration of the composer and perfectly highlights the immense skill of the performers. How does a chamber group manage to make four guitars sound simultaneously orchestral and singular? Clearly there is magic in the hills of Ireland.

Want this album to be yours? Hop on over to iTunes.

ALBUM OF THE WEEK: Julia Wolfe’s “Steel Hammer”

Posted on August 18, 2014 by maestrobeats

by Jill Kimball

Almost everyone has heard some version of a song about the man called John Henry. Legend has it that John Henry was a steel driver–someone who drilled holes into rock so that explosives could blast entire mountainsides and make way for tunnels and railroads. One day, he tried to keep up with a machine and succeeded, only to die of stress-induced heart failure on the spot.

A statue of John Henry in Summers County, West Virginia.

The character is fictional, but he represented the hordes of exploited laborers who built miles of American railroad in the late 19th century in harsh conditions for next to no pay. To this day, he is a symbol of unfair labor practices, of human strength, and of the skilled worker’s ongoing struggle to find work in an age of machines.

The folk song “John Henry” is well-known across so many genres. Everybody from Bruce Springsteen to Johnny Cash to Aaron Copland to They Might Be Giants has recorded, arranged or referenced it. Rather than being deterred by its ubiquity, though, the composer Julia Wolfe was inspired by it. Believe it or not, she waded through every version of “John Henry” she could find, noted all the lyric differences–since it’s an old folk tale, there are many–and wrote her own tribute in an album called Steel Hammer.

Musically, there’s a lot going on in this album. Norway’s vocal Trio Mediaeval provides strange, haunting and ethereal vocals throughout, accompanied by vastly different groups of instruments on each track. But the concept is simple: it’s an amalgamation of every John Henry story ever told, the details of which are often contradictory.

The album begins with mysterious, minimalistic vocals that reminded me a lot of fellow Bang on A Can composer David Lang. Then, a few effects are layered over the voices as they mimic the sound of a train whistle amid what sounds like a steel hammer driving into rock and the constant chug-a-chug of a steam engine.

According to legend, John Henry worked on a railroad in West Virginia. Or perhaps it was Kentucky. Or was it Columbus, Ohio? All of John Henry’s supposed locations are listed off in the folky, meandering second track, “The States,” which is pleasantly dissonant in all the right places. I especially like the introduction of driving percussion later in the track.

Two other tracks, “Characteristics” and “Polly Ann – The Race,” poke fun at the inconsistencies between John Henry stories. Some say he was tall; others say he was small. While some versions call his lover Polly Ann, others call her Mary Ann.

In “Destiny,” we learn that John Henry sealed his fate when he discovered his strength. “This hammer’s gonna be the death of me,” the vocal trio repeats as a piano and a cello play frenetic dissonant patterns and grow ever louder. The whole track ends loudly and abruptly, creating a frightening cliffhanger. We’re on the edge of our seats even though we all know the story’s tragic end.

“Mountain” paints a musical picture of the setting around which John Henry worked. At first it’s contemplative and tonal, but it grows increasingly dissonant as the steel driver’s death sinks in.

The two last movements, “Winner” and “Lord, Lord”, are like the modern answer to a Requiem mass, a seven-minute opportunity to come to grips with John Henry’s death, to grieve, and finally to hope that he is at peace now.

There’s a reason why this album was the runner-up for a Pulitzer Prize. It’s a triumph: beautiful but challenging, modern but accessible, at once relaxed and disquieting. I highly recommend you check it out! It’s available now on Cantaloupe Music‘s website.