NOVA Chamber Music Series

Jeff Counts catches up with composer Joan Tower to discuss her love for chamber music, her approach to mentoring young composers, and what new pieces she has in store.

Joan Tower’s Wings will be performed by clarinetist Erin Svoboda on our next concert, streaming for free beginning Friday, March 26. You can experience this and other concerts from NOVA Chamber Music series at https://www.novaslc.org.

Joan Tower | composer
Jeff Counts | host

produced by Chris Myers (https://www.argylearts.com)

Transcript available at https://www.novaslc.org/novapodcast/novapodcast011

Copyright © 2021 NOVA Chamber Music Series. All rights reserved.

Ed Bland’s music defies classification. His early music training was as a jazz saxophonist in his native Chicago, but he found the predictability of jazz rhythms to be too limiting for the kind of music he wanted to create, as he later explained:

“My world changed when I heard a recording of Stravinsky’s ‘The Rite of Spring.’ Not only was the music alive, it swung!… I felt that if I could uncover the secret of why Stravinsky’s music swung, and combine that knowledge with what I knew about swinging from my jazz background, I might be on a fruitful mission.”

This mission led him to draw on all the musical experiences he encountered in life. He eventually dubbed the unique blend of styles “urban classical funk.”

Bland’s work has been sampled by Beyoncé (“Creole”) and featured in movies (“A Soldier’s Tale”) and video games (“Test Drive Unlimited”). His groundbreaking documentary film, “The Cry of Jazz”, is included in the Library of Congress’ National Film Registry as “a historic and fascinating film that comments on racism and the appropriation of jazz by those who fail to understand its artistic and cultural origins.”

Learn more about Ed Bland at https://www.edblandmusic.com/

Ed Bland: For Bassoon

Lori Wike | bassoon

hosted by Jeff Counts
recording mastered by Michael Carnes
produced by Chris Myers (https://www.argylearts.com)

Transcript available at https://www.novaslc.org/novapodcast/novapodcast010

Copyright © 2021 NOVA Chamber Music Series. All rights reserved.

Jason Hardink just sent us a surprise—a full solo recital!—and asked if we’d share it with NOVA’s fans. Who can turn down an offer like that?

A video version of this episode is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrsMs5ei6W8.

Ludwig van Beethoven’s “Hammerklavier” Sonata is one of the most monumental works in the piano repertoire. The work’s nickname came from its title page, which indicated that it was written for the more modern “hammer keyboard” piano, rather than the harpsichord or other contemporary instruments. The “Hammerklavier” certainly makes full use of the piano’s dynamic range and expressive power.

Brittany Green is a composer from North Carolina whose works often explore the relationship between sound, movement, and text. “Portraits” is a suite of character sketches based on poems by Bessie Irene. These movements “depict people we all know,” says the composer, ranging from “Le garçon qui passe”, who is “trying to hold onto something that cannot last” to “La fille dans les nuages”, a woman facing “the complexity of struggling between who you are and who the world thinks you should be.”

You can hear more music by Brittany Green at https://www.brittanyjgreen.com.

Brittany Green: Portraits
I. La femme complexe (Complicated Woman, based on “I am You”) (01:25)
II. Le garçon qui passe (Boy Passing By, based on “Fleeting”) (05:52)
III. La mère dans le marché (Mother in the Market, based on “Mother in City Market”) (06:37)
IV. L’homme durci (Hardened Man, based on “Confinement”) (10:00)
V. La fille dans les nuages (Girl in the Clouds, based on “Beyond the Clouds”) (12:24)

Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 29 in B-flat Major “Hammerklavier”, op. 106
I. Allegro (15:49)
II. Scherzo (26:38)
III. Adagio sostenuto (29:25)
IV. Introduction & Fugue (46:31)

Jason Hardink | piano

recorded December 10 and 14, 2020, Caine Wanlass Performance Hall, Utah State University, Logan, Utah
recorded by Michael Palmer and Wesley Morrison
recording mastered by Michael Carnes

hosted and produced by Chris Myers (https://www.argylearts.com)

Transcript available at https://www.novaslc.org/novapodcast/novapodcast009

Copyright © 2020 NOVA Chamber Music Series. All rights reserved.

Beethoven’s Drei Equale were composed in honor of All Souls’ Day, but they would find their real place in history after the composer’s death, when they were performed at his funeral and the dedication of his tombstone.

Ludwig van Beethoven: Drei Equale

I. Andante (begins at 01:19)
II. Poco adagio (begins at 03:27)
III. Poco sostenuto (begins at 05:08)

Sam Eliot, Will Kimball, Mark Davidson, Graeme Mutchler | trombones

recorded January 20, 2019, Libby Gardner Concert Hall, Salt Lake City, Utah
recording remastered by Michael Carnes

hosted and produced by Chris Myers (argylearts.com)

Transcript available at https://www.novaslc.org/novapodcast/novapodcast008

Copyright © 2019, 2020 NOVA Chamber Music Series. All rights reserved.

Alone in a foreign land and grieving the loss of his mother, the 22-year-old Mozart put pen to paper and produced some of the most poignant music he would ever create.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Violin Sonata in E minor, K. 304

I. Allegro (begins at 02:16)
II. Tempo di Menuetto (begins at 08:54)

Madeline Adkins | violin
Andrew Staupe | piano

recorded October 14, 2018, Libby Gardner Concert Hall, Salt Lake City, Utah
recording remastered by Michael Carnes

hosted and produced by Chris Myers (argylearts.com)

Transcript available at https://www.novaslc.org/novapodcast/novapodcast007

Copyright © 2018, 2020 NOVA Chamber Music Series. All rights reserved.

We speak with two artists who are using their work to explore humanity's interaction with the environment. Composer Gabriela Lena Frank and playwright Chantal Bilodeau discuss how the arts bring discussions of climate change and sustainability center stage.

Transcript available at novaslc.org/podcast

View Rising Tide for free at novaslc.org/crossroads

Hosts:
Rebecca McFaul, Fry Street Quartet violinist
Dr. Rob Davies, Utah State University Dept of Physics (Twitter @robsMast)

Guests:
Gabriela Lena Frank, composer (glfcam.com)
Chantal Bilodeau, playwright (thearcticcycle.org)

produced by Chris Myers (argylearts.com)

Transcript available at https://www.novaslc.org/novapodcast/novapodcast006

Copyright © 2020 NOVA Chamber Music Series. All rights reserved.

Photographer Garth Lenz and systems scientist Dr. Elizabeth Sawin help us take the details of the past four episodes, process them together, and see the big picture—both through Lenz's aerial photography and Sawin's "multisolving" approach to systemic change.

Learn more about "Rising Tide" and stream the movie at www.novaslc.org/crossroads.

Transcript available at novaslc.org/podcast

Learn more about Climate Interactive at climateinteractive.org, and Dr. Sawin’s TED Talk at youtube.com/watch?v=prF8trTallQ

View Garth Lenz’s photographer at garthlenz.com. His TED Talk on the tar sands can be viewed at ted.com/talks/garth_lenz_the_true_cost_of_oil

Hosts:
Anne Francis Bayless, Fry Street Quartet cellist
Dr. Rob Davies, Utah State University Dept of Physics (Twitter @robsMast)

Guests:
Dr. Elizabeth Sawin, Systems Scientist and Co-Founder/Co-Director of Climate Interactive (Twitter @bethsawin)
Garth Lenz, Photojournalist and Fine Art Photographer (Instagram @Garth.Lenz)

produced by Chris Myers (argylearts.com)

Transcript available at https://www.novaslc.org/novapodcast/novapodcast005

Copyright © 2020 NOVA Chamber Music Series. All rights reserved.

We’ve talked about water. We’ve talked about life. Now it’s time to talk about dinner. The menu includes agro-ecology and sustainable food, prepared by farmer Chris Smaje.

Learn more about Rising Tide and stream the movie at novaslc.org/crossroads.

Transcript available at novaslc.org/podcast

Hosts:
Rebecca McFaul, Fry Street Quartet violinist (Twitter @RebeccaMcFaul)
Dr. Rob Davies, Utah State University Dept of Physics (Twitter @robsMast)

Guest:
Chris Smaje, farmer and social scientist (Twitter @CSMaje)

produced by Chris Myers (argylearts.com)

Transcript available at https://www.novaslc.org/novapodcast/novapodcast004

Copyright © 2020 NOVA Chamber Music Series. All rights reserved.

Ecologist John Shivik has spent his life studying predator-prey relationships. He and visual artist Rebecca Allan bond over their mutual love of gardening (and discuss how her art for “Rising Tide” explores humanity’s place in the intricate web of life on our planet).

Learn more about “Rising Tide” and stream the movie at novaslc.org/crossroads

Transcript available at novaslc.org/podcast

Hosts:
Bradley Ottesen, Fry Street Quartet violist
Dr. Rob Davies, Utah State University Dept of Physics (Twitter @robsMast)

Guests:
Rebecca Allan, visual artist (rebeccaallan.com)
John Shivik, author and applied ecologist

produced by Chris Myers (argylearts.com)

Transcript available at https://www.novaslc.org/novapodcast/novapodcast003

Copyright © 2020 NOVA Chamber Music Series. All rights reserved.

Robert Waters and Dr. Rob Davies discuss the creation of "H2O", the second movement in Laura Kaminsky's string quartet “Rising Tide”, which is featured in the new film from The Crossroads Project. They are joined by the composer and Dr. Ben Abbott, Assistant Professor of Ecosystem Biology at BYU.

Learn more about “Rising Tide” and stream the movie at novaslc.org/crossroads.

Transcript available at novaslc.org/podcast

Hosts:
Robert Waters, Fry Street Quartet violinist
Dr. Rob Davies, Utah State University Dept of Physics (Twitter @robsMast)
Guests:
Laura Kaminsky, composer (laurakaminsky.com)
Dr. Ben Abbott, BYU Assistant Professor of Ecosystem Biology (Twitter @thermokarst)

produced by Chris Myers (argylearts.com)

Transcript available at https://www.novaslc.org/novapodcast/novapodcast002

Copyright © 2020 NOVA Chamber Music Series. All rights reserved.