andPlay hangs / November 18, 2015 by and Play

A couple of things that we love (in no particular order)

1. Composer collabs

2. Bagels and cream cheese

3. Sunny days and dispositions

4. When Martha leaves her piccolo at home (just kidding Martha, we love you!)

This past Saturday we combined these four loves into one fun morning/afternoon in Sunset Park with Jonah Rosenberg (composer) and Martha Cargo (flute extraordinaire). Jonah is working on a piece for andPlay + Martha (andPlartha? please send us your suggestions) for our split show this coming January, and we wanted to meet to try some things out.

It started out with bagels and cream cheese from Sunset Bagels, pan fried apples with a dash of cinnamon and sugar, and coffee topped with whipped cream (if you haven’t tried this yet, please do; Jonah suggested it and I am never turning back)! We sat around munching, getting to know each other better, and discussing the comeback of cassette tapes/where our old walkmans are.

Next up, off to the studio (Jonah’s living quarters) where we made some recordings for Jonah to do spectral analysis on later. We played solos, trios, and then Jonah even joined us on the soprano sax for a quartet improv!

The fish and Martha took a real liking to each other.

All in all it was a great hang, and we are looking forward to many more and hearing what Jonah comes up with for us!

-Maya

andLiked this week: I have really been enjoying Lena Dunham's new podcast called Women of the Hour with Lena Dunham. It is wonderful to hear different women talking about issues like female friendships and their relationships with their bodies. Definitely worth a listen.

Welcome back! And NUNC! 2 / November 11, 2015 by and Play

We're back! (Dual meanings: it's been a while since we posted on our blog, and we just got back from the NUNC! 2 conference at Northwestern University.)

Highlights of our trip included:

1. Performing David Bird's Bezier to an entirely new audience!

2. The (sometimes overwhelming) quantity of interesting speakers and performances throughout the weekend. We especially enjoyed seeing Third Coast Percussion, an amazing group we had never seen before!

3. Finding our new favorite spots in Evanston: Brothers K Coffeehouse, Hoosier Mama Pie Company, Mt. Everest Restaurant (Indian and Himalayan buffet!), and of course, just enjoying Lake Michigan!

Thanks so much to the NUNC! 2 conference staff and the Bienen School of Music for having us and organizing such a great weekend!

And, we will be attempting to post regularly from now on, so see you next Wednesday!

-Hannah

andLiked this week: Metropolis Coffee Company -- we drank their beans every day at the Brothers K!

Composer Highlight: Ryan Packard / March 19, 2015 by and Play

Today is the day! I hope to see all of your lovely faces at Cornelia Street Cafe tonight at 9 PM! Doors open at 8:30 if you feel like having first pick of seating.

We are looking forward to bringing Ryan's White Elephant to you tonight! It is a mesmerizing piece that is sure to enchant.

Read Ryan's words and we will see you all later!

What was the inspiration for this piece?

This work is the first part of a larger piece for dancers, video, and violin/viola/zither. Basically all of the material is derived from (or some sort of arrangement of) the first ten measures of Carlo Gesualdo's keyboard work Canzone Francese del Principe. I wanted to break apart this music on a microscopic level so that it becomes its own little internal world, one that exposes it's raw insides, not unlike a cadaver flipped inside out. Gross.

Don't worry about the title. It's worthless.

What are you most excited for this spring?

Flowers. Duh.

What is your favorite and/or least favorite thing about writing for the violin/viola combo?

Well, I have to be more specific to answer this question. My favorite things about writing for andPlay, the violin and viola duo, are the following:

-You let me put a zither part in the piece

-You are very patient with me

-You let me drop the viola A string down a 6th and it's awesome.

SNACKS! Give us some fresh ideas. What are you snacking on these days?

SNACKS! I'm all about snacks! Ginger coated in chocolate with a bit of sea salt is heavenly rooted in root heaven.

Tell us something we don't know (about you, about your music, or about the world in general).

I have a little bump on my lip where I split my lip wide open after wiping out on a BMX dirt track. Ryan at age 13 thought he was down right invincible. I couldn't help but smile when the doctor put in my stitches so when the wound healed, it formed a bump on my lip that could have been avoided if I took life a little more seriously.

Don't smile after you wipe out like a damn fool.

Composer Highlight: Ashkan Behzadi / March 18, 2015 by and Play

We are one day away from the premiere of Ashkan's piece, Crescita Plastica! It is has been such a joy to get to know Ashkan through his music and in rehearsal, and we can't wait to share his piece with everyone! It is definitely an adventure full of twists and turns, and we are thrilled to take people along for the ride!

Remember to mark your calendars for Thursday, March 19th (TOMORROW). Cornelia St. Cafe at 9 PM as part of the Contagious Sounds series. We are sharing the bill with the incomparable Concert Black made up of Domenica Fossati (flute), Lisa Dowling (bass), and Owen Weaver (percussion).

Now without further ado let's see how Ashkan answers our questions...

What was the inspiration for this piece?

A hyperinstrument: heterophonic textures that constantly grow and evolve to unexpected places.

About the title: Since 2012, I have composed series of pieces, which have “Plastico” or “Plasticamente” (“Plastic” (adj.) or “Plastically”) in their title. When I was composing the first piece, called “Fantasia Plastico”, I was obsessed with the notion that our fantasies and desires are formed artificially through images in the movies or internet. Since then, the concept has evolved and now it’s more focused on music.

In “Crescita Plastica” or “plastic growth”, “plastic” refers to the artificiality of seemingly organic feature of the pieces: the expansion of the material throughout the piece.

What are you most excited for this spring?

I’m working on a piece for chamber ensemble and video! It’s going to be performed on April 25 at the DiMenna Center as part of Columbia Composers concert. I’m really excited about my first experience with writing for ensemble and video.

What is your favorite and/or least favorite thing about writing for the violin/viola combo?

Favorite: You have a really rich hyperinstrument. It gives you homogenous timbers while instantly it could be divided into two instrument with whole different characters. It’s a really versatile combination.

Least favorite: Well, I think sometimes you forget that you are not writing for two violins and you are writing for violin and viola!! You’ll hear some of these moments in my piece!

SNACKS! Give us some fresh ideas. What are you snacking on these days?

This is the tough one. There are so many awesome snacks! My favorite one these days is a fresh baguette with cream cheese and honey! I know.. it’s not healthy.. but it’s good! and never forget grapefruits with a bit of salt!

Tell us something we don't know (about you, about your music, or about the world in general).

I just discovered owls make literally no sound when they fly! it’s absolutely amazing! there is a video you should watch.. it’s breathtaking!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WigEGNnuTE

Want to hear some of Ashkan's music? Visit his Soundcloud!

https://soundcloud.com/ashkan-behzadi