Composer Highlight: Brian Petuch /  by and Play

The news is ABLAZE with talk of snowmageddon 2016 that is supposed to happen this Saturday, but worry not! As long as we can get there (and let's be real, we will believe the hype when we see it) our show is STILL HAPPENING (Sat., Jan. 23rd at Spectrum @ 7 PM). You should definitely come too, because this guy (Brian) will be there and we are playing his incredible piece, The Pequod for andPlay + electronics. Can't wait! Now see what Brian has to say...

Tell us a bit about your piece. 

The Pequod is a reference to the ship in Moby Dick. I read Moby Dick last summer for the first time while on the coast of Oregon. The immensity and dark Pacific coast only made the book more real to me. While reading I contemplated the scope of the Pequod’s journey on the vast sea, the scope of Captain Ahab's futile quest to conquer Moby Dick which led to the Pequod's inevitable demise. It was both beautiful and terrifying. I came to see it as a futile quest to conquer mortality in an unforgiving and impartial world. That's essentially what I was trying to express with this piece. I didn't start the piece with the Pequod in mind, but as I was writing it I was also reading Moby Dick so I eventually made the connection about what I was doing. The entire title of my piece is "The Pequod - On Infinite Blueness", I arrived at from a wonderful quote in the book that summarizes my sentiments.

"Ah! how they still strove through that infinite blueness to seek out that thing that might destroy them!"

 

Did you have any particularly invigorating or difficult times when writing your piece for andPlay?

I've been writing very energetic and fun sounding pieces recently. To make a switch to something brooding, introverted, and intense was a challenge. Usually my music has a very overt rhythmic drive, but The Pequod is freer. For that it was much more difficult. It was also a relief to work on something I found artistically fulfilling. I'm happy with it and I hope everyone can take something positive from it!

 

What music has most recently inspired you (to write, dance, since, be a better person, etc.)?

I've been on a big Bach and Ligeti kick recently. That comes in cycles. And I always listen to Stravinsky. I guess I've prematurely grown into my old man form. Also I've been digging that band Death Grips. So maybe I haven't reached maximum elder status just yet.

 

You are stranded on a desert island. What snack do you bring?

Hmmm. Are we talking about a snack for survival? I'd probably die there pretty quickly so I'd bring the most delicious thing, chips and spicy salsa.

 

Lastly, do you have a fun fact that you have learned recently?

All this talk about chips and salsa made me hungry so I googled it and found out that the origins of salsa go all the way back to the Incas!

 

Check out more from Brian at his website and soundcloud!

http://www.brianpetuch.com/
https://soundcloud.com/brianpetuch

Composer Highlight: Hunter Long /  by and Play

Here we are half-way through this VERY cold week, and we hope that everyone is keeping bundled with a bounty of knitted goods! We are looking forward to presenting a non-New York dweller (not that we don't love everyone that lives in the neighborhood) to you. Hunter lives in Kansas City and runs this super rad collective called Black House Collective (you should check it out if you haven't already) that Maya did a project with in St. Louis in November. Take a look at what he has to say, and don't forget to mark those calendars for this coming Saturday at 7 PM @ Spectrum where you will get to hear the premiere of Hunter's an animal kind of trick.

Tell us a bit about your piece. 

I feel like this piece is a bit distracted. It kind of hops around from mood to mood without really staying with any one idea for very long. I really started from the point of creating a sense of dialogue between the instruments. So I suppose the intent would be the type of caffienated, rambling talk between friends that keeps getting interrupted as people you know walk by and said hi. Then the conversation gets sidetracked as you talk about that friend once they've left.

 

Did you have any particularly invigorating or difficult times when writing your piece for andPlay?

This piece has definitely been a learning experience for me. I'm relatively new to writing for strings so there's been a lot of study involved in the process. This is also the first piece I've written without percussion in over a year. So it was fun working on a piece that doesn't have someone literally keeping time.

 

What music has most recently inspired you (to write, dance, sing, be a better person, etc.)?

If I'm honest the music I've been listening to most has been Drake and Tame Impala. I can't say that it inspires my music directly. But it's what I play when I'm drinking coffee and getting ready to get some shit done.

 

You are stranded on a desert island. What snack do you bring?

KIND bars I guess. Could they sustain life?

 

Lastly, do you have a fun fact that you have learned recently?

Some penguins are ticklish.

 

If you want to know more about Hunter take a look at his WEBSITE.

Composer Highlight: Drake Andersen /  by and Play

Happy Tuesday to one and all! Drake Andersen is second up in our composer highlight series leading up to our show this Saturday, Jan. 23rd at Spectrum @ 7 PM! Drake has written a trio piece for cargoPlay (how is that one? does it make you think of cargo shorts?) called Fields/Poles for trio + electronics. The electronics are amazingly sparkly and we cannot wait to share it with you! 

Tell us a bit about your piece.

I suppose a good starting point would be the title: Fields/Poles. The piece is a sort of improvisation, but with certain musical instructions that are notated. The way the notations are realized, however, is flexible, so there's a tension between symbols on the page, like magnetic "poles," and the sound produced when the performer plays them. In other words, the sounds on the page are multiplied by the sounds and techniques the performer chooses in the moment--responding to her own intuition--and what she hears from the ensemble and the electronics. I think of all of these possibilities as "fields" of potential sounds. The electronics, likewise, respond to the sounds of the instruments, extending the field further in range, timbre and density.

 

Did you have any particularly invigorating or difficult times when writing your piece for andPlay + Martha?

I think the most difficult thing with a piece like this is finding a balance between all of the information I have to express to the performer and what will be legible and "actionable" in a performance.

 

What music has most recently inspired you (to write, dance, sing, be a better person, etc.)?

Cecil Taylor--amazing improviser. Here's a clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EstPgi4eMe4

 

You are stranded on a desert island. What snack do you bring?

Is coffee a snack?

 

Lastly, do you have a fun fact that you have learned recently?

That the Bowie song "Wild is the Wind" (from Station to Station) is actually a Nina Simone cover:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CiVDzTT4CbE

 

Check out more things by Drake!

www.drakeandersen.com

www.creativeinteraction.org

Composer Highlight: Ivonne Paredes /  by and Play

Hello all! We are kicking off this busy week of composer highlights with Ivonne! Maya met Ivonne last year at a workshop in Kansas City, KA, and since then they have been friends and interested in working together. andPlay is looking forward to presenting Ivonne's duo, Copa Negra, at our upcoming show on January 23rd at 7 PM @ Spectrum. We are splitting the bill with the wonderful Martha Cargo, so come out if you can for all of the fun times, tunes, and treasures!

Tell us a bit about your piece.

Copa Negra was named after a poem by Peruvian poet Cesar Vallejo. Each movement of the piece has been named after the first word from each stanza. Vallejo is one of my favorite poets; his works definitely reflect his complex persona.

 

Did you have any particularly invigorating or difficult times when writing your piece for andPlay?

Definitely! I think it started well (I was making a lot of progress when I started working on it), but I found myself stuck by the second movement. Then the third and fourth were not that difficult to complete. The last movement - specially the ending - was hard. I just could not make up my mind about it!

What music has most recently inspired you (to write, dance, sing, be a better person, etc.)?

 

I'm not sure about lately, but since last year I started listening to some metal (Mastodon to be specific). I have been listening to them while working out, cleaning, doing work, etc. Metal music makes me do things faster and keeps me going through my day. Try it!

 

You are stranded on a desert island. What snack do you bring?

Chocolates. Lots of them.

 

Lastly, do you have a fun fact that you have learned recently?

Yes. Do you know that David Bowie got a constellation named after him? The Starman is now really among the stars.

 

You can check out more of Ivonne's work on any or all of these social media platforms!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ivonneparedes.composer

Twitter: @ivonnekparedes

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/ivonne-paredes

Website: ivonneparedes.com