Episode 11

Episode 11 is the third of three episodes of music and commentary from the New Music America Festival 1987 in Philadelphia, produced and presented by the Relache organization. Sound installations and outdoor performances in some unlikely locations have been part of New Music America festivals throughout the eleven-year history of the festivals. For this episode we have selected three outdoor events and one example of computer influenced works by composer-installations artists Alvin Curran, Bob Goldberg, Joel Chadabe and the collaborative team of Christopher Janney and Joan Bingham. From the bowels of Philadelphia’s Broad Street Subway station to the Delaware River waterway, these works celebrate the diversity of musical events that were part of New Music America 1987 – Philadelphia. 

Episode 10 is the second of three episodes of music and commentary from the New Music America Festival 1987 in Philadelphia, produced and presented by the Relache organization. This episode is one of our favorites. It features the premiere performance of accordionist-composer Guy Klucevsek’s “Polka from the Fringe,” a terrific investigation of Polkas in all their glory. Virtuosic, whimsical, outrageous, Guy’s performance at a funky bar in Olde City Philadelphia is a must-hear for all “new music” fans. In some ways these polkas deconstruct the genre. They keep alive the inventiveness inherent in the music of a variety of contemporary composers, with a keen sense of humor. As you will hear, Guy dedicated the performance of “Polka from the Fringe” to Charles Mingus’s remark, “Let the white man develop the polka.” In that spirit, Guy turns the table on this much beloved genre of dance music. 

Episode Nine -  New Music America 1987 Philadelphia (1 of 3)

In 1979, a group of composers, performers, video artists, producers, presenters, and other experimental artists met at The Kitchen, a renowned Downtown NY performance space to present a festival named New Music New York. The following year in Minneapolis, The Walker Art Center produced and presented a festival based on New Music New York that they called the New Music America Festival. For the following 9 years New Music America Festivals were held in a different city each year, produced, and presented by a local arts organization. In 1987, the festival was produced and presented by the Relache organization in collaboration with the City of Philadelphia. Over a 10-day period, concerts, installations, videos, parties, and a seminar called “Talking Music” was presented at venues throughout the city. The Relache Chronicles will reflect upon these events, beginning with Episode 9, New Music America Festival 1987 – Philadelphia. 

Romulus Franceschini was a composer, arranger, music editor and assistant curator at the Edwin A. Fleisher Collection of Orchestral music in Philadelphia, his hometown. Raised in the vibrant Italian American community in South Philly, Romulus absorbed the rich classical music that was ever present in Philadelphia, while absorbing the equally rich jazz inflected music of the mid-twentieth century. He studied cello and French Horn; served in a U.S. Army Band in occupied Japan; studied composition and theory with Vincent Persichetti after returning from the service; studied with with Stephan Wolpe and Morton Feldman in New York City; made numerous arrangements for jazz musicians in Philadelphia, including Calvin Massey and John Coltrane, and wrote music for chamber ensembles, voices, and soloists. As an editor at the Fleisher Collection, he was prominent in analyzing the draft and extracting the instrumental parts of Charles Ives’ Fourth Symphony, working in collaboration with conductor Leopold Stokowski, who premiered it in 1964. As Romulus said of himself, “I’m an eclectic composer.” His “eclecticism” was immensely valuable to the growth and maturity of the Relache Ensemble, for whom he served as a guiding force for all things musical. Romulus passed away in 1994. This episode of the Relache Chronicles celebrates the life and music of Romulus Franceschini. 

As the founding director of the Experimental Intermedia foundation, Phill Niblock has presented hundreds, if not thousands of concerts at his space in downtown New York City. As a composer, he has created numerous musical works for performing ensembles worldwide. As a film maker, he has made films that have been shown at festivals throughout the world, often accompanied by his music. Recently, we interviewed Phill to discuss a work of his titled "Not Untitled, Knot Untied, Old" that was created for the Relache Ensemble, and performed by Relache in 1984 in Philadelphia.   

Baritone saxophonist, composer, band leader, recording artist, writer, and social activist, Fred Ho was a prodigious artist who created a large body of works for the concert hall and theater. By integrating Chinese folk songs and music from an African American diaspora, Fred created a unique and dynamic artistic legacy. Among the music in his legacy is titled “Contradiction Please! The Revenge of Charlie Chan,” composed for The Relache Ensemble. It was the first work that Fred composed for an ensemble other than for one of his own groups, The Afro-Asian Music Ensemble and The Monkey Orchestra. His passing at 57 in 2014 has left a void in American Music. We hope this episode will rekindle an interest in Fred Ho’s music. Duration is 45:06.
 
 

Two works by the eminent accordionist-composer, Guy Klucevsek are featured. “Oscillation No. 2” is performed by pianist Jenny Lin and “The Flying Pipe Organ of Sian” is played by the Relache Ensemble. Guy Discusses these works with the podcast team, at times playing examples on the accordion. Guy is an innovate accordion virtuoso who has created multiple works for that instrument while commissioning numerous others by composers from throughout the world. He has composed music for dance, theater, and ensembles world-wide and has performed as a solo and ensemble accordionist throughout the U.S., Europe, and Japan. Duration is 50’38.”

Episode No. 1 The Relache Ensemble. Beginning with a brief history of the ensemble through commentary by Joseph Franklin, Arthur Stidfole, and Joe Kasinskas, they reminisce about the ensemble’s early days in Philadelphia and how the name “Relache” was chosen. The musical works featured are “Forever and Sunsmell” by John Cage and “She Was a Visitor” by Robert Ashley, both performed by the Relache Ensemble. 
Duration is 34’12.”