Morning Pro Musica

No, on Friday evening there's going to be a performance at Sanders Theater Harvard University honoring composer T.J. Anderson and his 60th birthday, which was actually in August. I'm celebrating it twice this year. Twice. Well, I think there's good cause for that. You know, I've always considered a birthday, an opportunity that every individual has on a regular basis to be honored for, not particularly any reason, except for getting older, which is a dubious distinction. But in your case, we have, we have more to celebrate. We have quite a career. T.J. thanks for being with us this morning. You've been there, I guess, before, and morning for music. I've enjoyed it. Yes. In fact, you just told me there was a 50th birthday celebration here. Yes. Robert participated in that, and we have back again for 60. We're looking forward to 70. Yeah. Robert J. is going to be participating in this concert coming Friday night, which we'll talk more about in a few minutes right now.

In our studio, we have a number of musicians. Many of them, young artists from the music school at Rivers, who commissioned Mr. Anderson for a work a couple of years ago that we're going to hear among a variety of other pieces. Also with us, pianist Vivian Taylor, who is the mastermind behind the Vdaemus ensemble, which is presenting the concert coming Friday night, violist Marcus Thompson, excuse me Marcus, also not a stranger to us, clarinetist Aline Benoit, and saxophonist Michael Leonard. We're going to hear from every one of these musicians before the program is over this morning. T.J. you certainly, seems that your career gets busier, not quieter, as I'm having fun. You're a progress. Yes. What's your thoughts for how many years? I think it's 17 years, something like that, yes. And now you have some new work in Chicago. You have what looks like a rather exciting ensemble. Yes, that's the music repertoire ensemble.

And it's sponsored by Columbia College of Chicago. And it's an outgrowth of the Center for Research in Black Music. Samuel Floyd is director of that organization. So you must be logging in a good deal of frequent flyer miles. Occasionally. Occasionally, yes. We specialize in the music from 1800 to the present. Black composers have been ignored, just as women have been ignored, and we know that there's a great body of literature there that should be presented, and we're in the process of presenting it. But this is our second year, second season, yes. Filling a very significant gap. Right. You look forward to the day when black music just takes its place at the center of American music and doesn't need to be distinguished as something special. Yes, and no. I look forward to the day that we would achieve equality. I think that's certainly a desirable goal. But at the same time, I think in terms of ethnicity and the various components that make that up, and I'm not just talking about black ethnicity, talking about it in general

in terms of the various racial groups that make up for the American population, that these groups have to maintain their own individuality. And when they come into the collective mainstream, it's on the basis of what they do and what they bring to it as opposed to, say, you know, separated, isolated phenomena. So it's interesting that black music is really the dominant thrust of American music in general. It has always been at the center. It's always been there. Of course, when people say, I don't believe it, then you say rock and roll jazz, gospel music. And then they begin to understand. And this music has had an influence on all of our major composers. There's the blues, too. Certainly. Certainly, so that this is the American music. And yet at the same time, the black classical composers of composers in that genre have not been a part of the mainstream or part of the commissioning process, yet the music continues to go on. Well, this morning, we're going to focus very specifically on the music of T.J. Anderson, which is a fine opportunity to hear representative sampling of some of your music.

We're going to begin with Vivian playing a solo piano piece that dates back a number of years now. Why don't you just tell us a bit about Watermelon? Oh, Watermelon. I have to laugh because probably Jay sung the theme on the 50th birthday concert. Oh, he strolled on the stage, and it's really based on a Huxters theme that I heard as a child. You know, the street vendor had the Watermelon and sold them on the street. This tune is really presented at the end of the piece, so it's really based on that particular tune. So the excursions in and out of the Huxters theme. Very good. Well, let's hear it. Vivian is ready, I think. And she'll play for us in 1971 composition, Watermelon, by our special guest, T.J. five. and the tune just gradually coalesces there.

It doesn't have very familiar tune at that. Watermelon, 1971 composition for piano by our guest, TJ Anderson. I was thinking while we were listening to that, it's a common complaint that composers today, especially in America, where everything is possible, have a hard time finding a focus for their composition, for the way that they write. And I wondered if you find that this kind of material, traditional material, gives you a focus in your composing, which is obviously very contemporary. Well, the music is focused in the culture. I mean, that's where all music should be, and has traditionally been. And I mean, in that particular piece, I had forgotten that Herbie Hancock's Watermelon Man keeps coming in and out, and so that that's just a part of it, and what you have to be fortunate to have, as I do in this particular case, is a phenomenal pianist like Vivian Taylor, who could accomplish the gestures that the music presents.

I mean, she and Marcus and the musicians that you will hear today all have this phenomenal ability to translate what's on the paper into musical experience. So the two things go hand in hand. There's just a remarkable wealth of material that you can drop on to create completely contemporary music and yet to stimulate some recollection, some memory in the mind. It's quite a wonderful technique. TJ Anderson, our guest and a number of musicians this morning were going to be turning to some of our younger musicians in the studio in a moment. Let me mention first, again, the 60th birthday celebration concert for TJ Anderson, presented by Videmos, which is headed by our pianist Vivian Taylor this morning. That concert coming Friday, March 31st at 8 o'clock PM at Sanders Theater Harvard University

and is going to be quite a variety of your works on this program as this also a very representative selection. I'll only have one work on that program. Yeah, I'm fortunate that for this particular occasion, 10 composers have written pieces in my honor. So the first half of the program will be these 10 works, which will be premieres. And I just feel honored that the diversity of music is being presented makes this sort of a happening as opposed to a traditional concert. It's more of a celebration. I like to think of it as a celebration, as opposed to a concert. And each of these pieces was written as a tribute to you. Yeah, so these will all be new works, yes. And then your featured work on the program is by you that's recreation. Yes, that'll be the second half after intermission. Recreation will be presented. What is that work? It's a piece based on a text by Leon Farrest and commissioned by the distinguished sculptor of Chicago, Richard Hunt. And it's about God coming back to Earth

and breathing life into mankind again. But it's a different version in this particular case, God is a woman. And also the person that she is talking to are two jazz musicians. So you have basically a black dialogue. And the music is rooted in both jazz, the spirituals, the gospel traditions, or in a black experience, both in its relationship to the text and spirituality also. Great, the theme sounds rather appropriate to springtime. Oh, yes. The time of year. Speaking of commissions, one of the commissioned works that we're going to hear this morning is one that was commissioned by the music school at Rivers in Western Massachusetts, a school for gifted younger musicians. And that's what we're going to hear next. We have a number of performers from the music school at Rivers. Ivesiana is the name that you've given this piece.

And certainly Charles Ives is another American composer who has paved the way for a style of music. And is that something that you're intending to attribute to? And I suppose we're definitely. He's a father figure to all of us. And he actually had a synthesis of the music of his time, the church and popular music and marches. All of those things are represented. And what I thought I would do in this particular piece is not only combine the gestures of Ives, but also project that to the current culture. So I have the gestures of my generation in there. So it's a combination of Ives and Anderson. You had another layer. Another layer, you're wonderful. Well, why don't we hear it? We have with us three of the young musicians from the music school at Rivers. We have Gianna Lee, violin, who is Gina Lee. I knew I'd get it wrong.

Who is 13 years old, I believe. Yes. And we also have with us Dana Fader, who's cellist, who's 13-year-olds, 13-years-old as well. And Jonathan J.O. who's a mature 11-years-old at the piano. And they're going to play for us this morning. The work, especially commissioned by the music school at Rivers from T.J. Anderson, Ives, Gianna. Ives, Ives, Gianna, Ives, Gianna, Ives, Gianna. Ives, Ives, Gianna, Ives, Gianna, Ives, Gianna. Ives, Ives, Gianna, Ives, Gianna, Ives, Gianna, Ives,

Gianna, Ives, Gianna, Ives, Gianna, Ives, Gianna. Ives, Ives, Gianna, Ives, Gianna, Ives, Gianna. Ives, Ives, Gianna, Ives, Gianna, Ives, Gianna, Ives,

Gianna, Ives, Gianna, Ives, Gianna, Ives, Gianna, Ives, Gianna, Ives, Gianna, Ives, Gianna, Ives, Gianna, Ives, Gianna, Ives, Gianna, Ives, Gianna, Ives, Gianna, Ives,

Gianna, Ives, Gianna, Ives, Gianna, Ives, Gianna. .

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. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . teacher and boost TORF, or TORF, that is, of the music school of faculty. All that part of the seminar on contemporary music for the young, presenting young musicians

from ages 5 to 18, and performances of contemporary music, in a wide variety of styles and complexities. This is what the music school at Rivers is all about. That seminar against Saturday on Sunday, April 8th and 9th, Saturday beginning at 11.30 Sunday beginning at 1 o'clock. We'd like some more information on that. 617-235-6840. Here's the number. I want to extend a very special thank you to our young musicians from the music school at Rivers for joining us this morning. T.J. Anderson has just marked his 60th birthday in last August, actually. Which was celebrated in Brazil, incidentally. Yes, I presented a paper on my music, and this was at the Federal University at Salvador Bahia. And after the presentation, they presented me with a concert of Brazilian composers' music. Which was quite fascinating. Avila Lobos and Wineri and other composers that we did.

But they had a lot of live composers that were in the audience and then it ended with the children's choir singing Brazilian folk songs, which was very impressive. Very impressive. Very good. Well, let's turn to the next piece. And here again, you have honored one of the seminal names in contemporary music, and that is Album Berg. A set of variations on a theme of Album Berg. This goes back 12 years now, is it all right? Marcus Thompson is the oldest time determined to get names wrong this morning. Marcus and Vivian Taylor once again at the piano. In what way does Album Berg play into this? In the opera project, at the climax of the opera, there's one note that increases it intensity. And I thought I'd build a set of variations on that one note, and it's presented as a theme, exactly as Berg presented it in the opera. And I build variations off of this one note,

so that I thought the intensity of that one note impressed me. So that was a stimulus. One note. One note, a one note theme. Very interesting. All right. Marcus Thompson and Vivian Taylor, both of whom have been with us before on Morning from Music of Performing this Morning, T.J. Anderson's Variations on a Theme by Album Berg. T.J. Anderson's Variations on a Theme by Album Berg.

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. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . And it should be a lot of fun. Now we do have one last, it's too bad we don't have several hours, it doesn't do enough justice to the marvelous amount of music you've written, at least over 50 works, probably a good deal more than that, covering a lot of ground, but it seems like you've specially focused on chamber music in your career that you've written one opera, is that right? Yes, I have one opera, yes.

So the last of the pieces we hear this morning is another chamber piece. It's Intermetsi, this is a more recent one, 1983, and here you've chosen, for the first time on this program, a traditional classical title for a piece, is there, is there source material on this piece too that we need to listen for, is it? Well, this piece is, if you walk into a crowded room and you hear a lot of conversations going on at the same time, you're able to absorb all of this information, and so I said, why can't a piece of music do the same thing? And although you have three instruments performing, it's not a trio, there are three independent pieces being played by each of the instruments, and these pieces have various gestures, different speeds, and it's the combination of the collected atmosphere that's really represented in the music itself. That's an intriguing concept, and this is all original material. Yes. Three, Intermetsi? No, not three, it doesn't say three, it says Intermetsi, there's three. Because it can be performed as a solo piece, under the title Intermetsi for, say,

solo clarinet or solo saxophone or the solo piano, but under the title Intermetsi, then it becomes the three instruments performing their solo material collectively, so it has two performing possibilities. Marvelous. Well, it's here at T.J. Henderson's Intermetsi. This time, our guests are Eline Benoit, clarinet, Michael Leonard, saxophone, and again Vivian Taylor at the piano. Let's put it on. .

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. . . . . Alene Benoit, clarinet, Michael Leonard, saxophone, and Vivian Taylor at the piano, playing the intermetsi of our guest, T.J. Anderson. T.J. were just about out of time, I hope you feel well represented by this brief retrospective of your music. Well, I have enjoyed it. I'd like to mention once again the 60th birthday celebration concert sponsored by Vidaemus, Friday March 31st, 8 o'clock pm at Sanders Theatre, in Cambridge, with a roundtable discussion at 7 o'clock before that.

That's our morning pro-musical program for this Wednesday morning. I'd like to thank every one of the musicians who has joined us this morning. Thank you very much, but we're right out of time, morning pro-musica, made possible by the generous contributions of its listeners, and made possible as well in part by a grant from Talbots, and by a grant from Bay Banks, and by Havillock. I'm Richard Nisely, I have had an extraordinary time spending the last few mornings with you, Robert J. Lertz and myzabak tomorrow morning, and this is the Public Radio Network. Thank you very much. Thank you.

Dara Stevenson is back with us live on pro-musica, and along with her for his first appearance, Semion Friedman. Semion Friedman, cellist, comes to us from where? Originally from Kiev, Soviet Union, about ten years ago, and now I live in New York City in Manhattan. The winner of the 1987 concert artist's guild international competition in New York, and former soloist with numerous orchestras, including the Kiev State Philharmonic, not surprisingly, also the Baltimore Symphony, and have you ever played in an orchestra? Yes, I played a little bit in Baltimore Symphony, and I played in Kiev right before I left Russia.

I worked in Phharmonic, I just started, I was about twenty-one, twenty-two years old. Mostly you followed the career of a soloist? Solo and chamber music, although I started being interested in I think orchestra is a very interesting part of musician's career. You mean playing solo with the orchestra? Yes, and playing some in chamber orchestra and maybe even the Symphony Orchestra. Doris Stevens, and of course, highly sought after chamber musician and the accompanist, whose career has followed that vein for the most part, as opposed to going off on a soloist career. You seem to be happy making music with other people.

Yes, that's the case. Which is what you've done every time you've been here on Morning Pro Music. Yes. Well, let's have some. The first piece is by Lawrence Weiner, and I think about what Lawrence Weiner, who is Lawrence Weiner? Lawrence Weiner is a composition teacher at Corpus Christi State University. He's a composer in the residence there. He looks like he's in his 50s. Very happy man. He writes, he's fairly prolific. He wrote about 90 compositions, 40 of which is, 40 of those are published. Piano concertos, guitar, piano trio. This is the first cell piece he ever wrote. I suppose he's any relation to Leo Weiner? I don't think he's, I don't think, no. There's a lot of Weiner's that we asked him if he's in relation because there's a big chain of stories in Texas, and he said no. So he's just by himself.

Okay. This is a rhapsody written by Lawrence Weiner last year in 1988. How'd you come across this? My trio played a concert there, and he asked me, he said that he's writing a piece, and he was wondering if I would look at some sketches and then see if it's something interesting. And I was in the process of looking for a composer to commission the piece for me, and I became interested from what I saw. It was very, very promising, I thought, and a concerto skilled on my request to commission the piece from him. So he finished it, and I'm playing it, and I'm quite happy with it. I'm eager to hear it. Doris Steven Simpiano and Semyon Friedman-Cello playing Rhapsody written in 1988 by Lawrence Weiner. Doris Steven Simpiano playing Rhapsody and Semyon Friedman-Cello playing Rhapsody and Semyon Friedman-Cello playing Rhapsody.

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Corpus Christi, Texas. You are both teachers, actually. You're at the Bowdoin summer festival, aren't you? You used to be. We now, since last two years, we would just go there and play a concert. We have more information about the trio later. Doris, you're still at Williams? Yes, I'm at Williams College. You're living in New York, but teaching at Williams? Yes, I'm commuting to Williams College once a week. Go up and stay overnight for a night or two. It seems to be the fad there to take piano right now. It's a pretty drive, though. Yes, it's a beautiful drive. A beautiful place. You have concerts coming up that I wanted to mention before we get into the next piece. In fact, you have a couple coming up together. One, tomorrow night, eight o'clock. At Longest School of Music, one fallen street in Cambridge, Samian Friedman and Doris Stevenson.

The full number there is 617-876-0956. And then Sunday afternoon at the Ziterian Theatre, 684 Pritchestreet in New Bedford, Massachusetts, 508 Area Code, 997-5664. That's one o'clock Sunday afternoon. Then John Klebenoff will be joining Samian Friedman for a concert at four o'clock in Wapinger's Falls, New York, in the Patrons for Young Artists' Concert Series that takes place at five Channingville Road. Telephone there, 914-297-9243. That's Sunday, April 9th, the week for this coming Sunday. Then later in the month, Saturday, April 22nd, the other member of the trio, Alexander Suminiescu, plays violin, John Klebenoff plays piano, of course. The Bolton trio will be performing at the... Was that Waveney Chamber Concert Series?

Yes, in Connecticut, I believe. Waveney Chamber Music Society, Waveney Park, carriage barn in New Canaan, Connecticut. The full number there is 203 Area Code 972-1380. We're going to continue this morning with one of the major 20th century compositions for cello and piano that of Dimitri Shostakovich, his sonata of this 40 that he wrote in 1934. Semyon Friedman-Cello and Doris Stevens in piano playing live on promosicum. Music

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