Beth Anderson

Concert Program

a musical evening on February 28, 2000 at 8: PM, at
the loft of Tom O'Horgan, 840 Broadway, 11th floor, New York City

Mary Rowell, violin
Denman Maroney, piano

Grand Sonata						by Michael Sahl

Herfst							by Boudewijn Buckinx

Tale #3
Dr. Blood's Mermaid Lullaby
Belgian Tango
Tale #2
Ghent Swale
Tale #1 							by Beth
Anderson

It used to be the case that if someone liked Michael's music, they hated Beth's and if they liked Beth's, they hated Michael's. It is still possible. It is even possible that someone might love Boudewijn's music and hate ours, and the reverse. But all three of us see relatedness between the musics. We are musical cousins.

bios/notes:

Michael Sahl, born 1934, composer of "classical" music and "popular" music, but actually of some weird amalgam of these traditions, started as a child and remains a child, progressively less well-adjusted as the society becomes more rational and bottom-line. He has written operas, tangos, movie-scores, chamber music, and "symphonies" but they were for combinations of classical instruments with jazz rhythm-section and sometimes electric guitar. This Grand Sonata for Violin and Piano is more on the classical end, but still contains pop emanations, especially where harmony is concerned. Tonight is its premier.

Boudewijn Buckinx [b. Lommel, Belgium. 28 March 1945] As a composer, he is a typical exponent of Postmodernism [1001 Sonates for violin and piano, 9 Unfinished Symphonies]. The series of 1001 Sonates in their totality were performed in Darmstadt [Germany] (1988), Brussels (1989), Ghent (1994) and Kiel [Germany] (1998). Special Buckinx concerts have been held in Ghent, Brussels and Kiel, and his music has also been performed at important festivals such as the Contemporary Music Week in Ghent [Belgium], the "Ferienkurse" in Darmstadt [Germany],the Tampere Biennale [Finland] and the North American New Music Festival in Buffalo [USA], Bucarest and Arad [Rumania]. In 1993 a 9-day Buckinx Festival was held in De Rode Pomp in Ghent. Buckinx composed four operas: a chamber opera "Karoena [The Mermaid]" in Russian (premiered in De Rode Pomp, Ghent, in 1995), his opera on the life and philosophy of "Socrates" (premiered in Ghent in 1997), "Le Valchirie" (performed by the Opera Class of the Music Conservatory in Antwerp in 1997), and the opera "Van Alle Tijden", based on the mythological character of Reinaert (commissioned by Stichting Aa in Groningen, The Netherlands, and premiered there in May 1998). Mr. Buckinx's music is available on 30 CDs. Tonight is the premier of Herfst. "Herfst" doesn't mean anything, except that it was written in autumn or already feeling the autumn in the air. Contact Boudewijn Buckinx at the following email address: [email protected]

Beth Anderson is a composer of new romantic music, text-sound works, and musical theater. She lives in Brooklyn and serves on the piano faculty of Greenwich House Music School. She has been commissioned by Andrew Bolotowsky, the Minnesota Sinfonia, the Staten Island Symphony, the Cabrillo Music Festival, the San Francisco Conservatory's New Music Ensemble, the University of the Redlands' New Music Ensemble, Mimi Dye, the Montclair College Dance Festival, Daniel McCusker & Dancers, and most recently, the Soho Baroque Opera Company has commissioned a one-act operetta, Qoheleth. The most complete catalog of her work is available on-line from N.Y. Women Composers at http://metalab.unc.edu/nywc/. Next concert: May 14th at 3 PM four of her new songs with words by Harlem Renaissance poets sung by Keith Borden, baritone, with string bass and piano, at Langton Hughes Public Library, 100-01 Northern Blvd., Queens, NY. For information call 718 651 1100 or write [email protected].

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Tales #1-3 are brand new. They are short stories. Some are shorter than others. There are likely to be more in the future.

Dr. Blood's Mermaid Lullaby--One night I had a very bad dream about Dr. Blood stealing my blood. I woke up and wrote what felt like the antidote to this dream-- a kind of underwater lullaby with mermaids and a music box. Since the imaginary Dr. Blood was the "cause" of the dream, I gave him credit in the title. I felt much better afterwards.

Belgian Tango was composed for Yvar Mikashof and arranged for trio for The Tango Project that recorded it for Newport Classics. Tonight is the premier of the duet version. All of them are dedicated to Boudewijn Buckinx.

Ghent Swale--This swale combines various oriental scales with Satie-like lyricism. It was premiered in Ghent at De Rhode Pomp this past September. (Ever since a horse named Swale won the Kentucky derby several years ago, I have used the word "swale" frequently to describe my work. A swale is a meadow or a marsh whose abundant nourishment and moisture support a rich diversity of plant life. Since 1984, my work has been constructed from swatches of newly composed music, rather than found music, which I find reminiscent of the diversity of life found in a swale.)

Mary Rowell, violin, is equally at home in the concert hall and at grunge rock clubs, and is noted for her collaborations exploring the synthesis of popular and classical music. She has recorded for Joe Jackson, Sheryl Crow, Steve Colman, John Lurie, Billy Joel, the SILOS, the Tango Project, Scott Johnson and the Concordia Orchestra on such labels as BMG, EMI, Sony Classical, Angel, Point, Koch, Newport Classics and Nonesuch. Ms. Rowell has performed throughout the world at major venues including the Library of Congress (DC), Queen Elizabeth Hall (London), Walker Art Center (Minneapolis), Mark Taper Forum (LA),Theatre du Chatelet (Paris) and has been a featured soloist at Lincoln Center's SERIOUS FUN! Festival, and at the Cabrillo Festival (CA).She performs frequently with the New York City Ballet where she captivates the dance world with her solo electric violin performances of Richard Einhorn's Maxwell's Demon.

98-99 season highlights include: recording Joe Jackson's new CD SYMPHONY with Steve Vie, Terance Blanchard, Wes Andersen and Robin Eubanks; appearance as violin soloist with the NY Chamber Symphony (Lincoln Center, NY) and the Warsaw Philharmonic (Poland), premiering and recording W.T. McKinley's new violin concerto; appearing on stage in the Broadway play MARLENE starring Sian Phillips; the debut of a new string quartet Hazardous Materials; performing with Sheryl Crow on the Lilith Fair 1999 tour.

This season's highlights include a FOX TV special performing with Sheryl Crow and Friends live from Central Park, NYC; Sheryl Crow Japan tour; a Belgium radio debut performing new works by Michael Sahl and Beth Anderson and chamber music performances of music by Mark Dresser in Antwerp and Amsterdam.

Mary is currently concertmaster of the Radio City Music Hall Orchestra.

Composer/pianist Denman Maroney is best known for his unique hyperpiano style, which basically involves exciting the strings directly with various objects while working the keyboard. Recording credits include Fire Song (Erstwhile 003), Hyperpiano (Mon$ey Music), Vision Volume One (AUM Fidelity AUM007/8), Force Green (Soul Note 121273-2), The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (Knitting Factory Works 155), A Confederacy of Dances Vol. 2 (Einstein EIN003), Tambastics (Music & Arts 704) and Stockhausen Performed by the Negative Band (Finnadar SR9009). He has won grants and fellowships from the NEA, NYSCA, NYFA, Mary Flagler Cary Charitable Trust, Jerome Robbins Foundation, Michigan State Arts Council and Meet the Composer. He was educated at Yale Summer School of Music & Art (residence fellowship '74), Cal. Arts (MFA ’74), Bennington and Williams (BA ’71). His teachers included John Bergamo, Alan Chaplin, Bill Dixon, Jimmy Garrison, Leonid Hambro, Ingram Marshall, Steven Mosko, Morton Subotnick, Leonard Stein, James Tenney, and Ki Wasitadipuro among others. For more information please visit http://www.pipeline.com/~denman.