source file: mills2.txt Date: Sun, 18 May 1997 17:21:47 +0200 Subject: AFMM MicroMay '97 - May 16, NYC From: DMB5561719@aol.com Ah, New York, New York. A major international city. Quite a bit of microtonal activity there. For years, one of the major organizations performing and promoting the performance of all kinds of microtonality is the American Festival of Microtonal Music. Founded by Johnny Reinhard and Jon Catler in 1981, this years four day MicroMay '97 festival opened on May 16 at NYU's Loewe Theater. Johnny led the audience in a ripping version of John Cage's 0'00" (4'33 No. 2): solo to be performed in any way by anyone, in this case we were asked to play the shortest possible sound. Following was the first of many world premieres, Frank Wigglesworth's Twin Songs for meantone flute, written for flautist Andrew Bolotowsky. The middle eastern tinged piece was in two movements. Elodie Lauten's Discombobulations for soprano, electric guitar, flute, synthesizer and tape was characteristic of the composer's cyclic rhythms. The piece was in a combination of Vallotti temperament and just intonation - 5 limit with a touch of 7. (world premiere) soprano - Meredeth Borden electric ji guitar - Jon Catler flute - Andrew Bolotowsky synthesizer - Elodie Lauten lyrics by Steven Hall Leonardo for bassoon, cello and wrench guitar was commissioned by AFMM . This composition by Edgar David Grana included quartertones, multiphonics, extended techniques and a guitar retuned with it's A string +1/8th tone, the G string -1/8th tone. At one point Reinhard took his bassoon apart and played the pieces. Ricci occasionally fretted notes but mostly used the wrench as a slide. The composition had a loose improvisatory feel. (world premiere) bassoon - Johnny Reinhard cello - David Eggar wrench guitar - Vito Ricci Birdhouse performed an extended version of Nightbird. Using cluster chords, called "manyminor" by composer Jon Catler, the duo explored the rich splendor of 13 limit just intonation. Catler used his custom ji guitar with interchangeable fingerboards (fretless and 49 tone ji) and Meredith Borden sang like a bird. Music based on birdsongs is part of Birdhouse's modus operandi. This group has performed a bit around New York, recently performing two dates at La Mama la Gallereia earlier this month with Brad Catler, percussion and Andrew Bolotowsky, flute. Their debut CD will be released this summer. soprano - Meredeth Borden electric ji guitar - Jon Catler Joseph Gabriel Maneri's Sharafuddin b Yah Yah Maneri was composed for flute in 72 equal temperament. Exotic and very eastern, this composition was inspired by a 14th century Sufi saint, teacher and high priest: a Makdum ul-Mulk. Composer, saxophonist and clarinetist Maneri is Professor of Music at the New England Conservatory where he teaches microtonal music composition and theory. (NY premier) flute - Andrew Bolotowsky Arriving from Canada, composer Ganesh Anandan and composer/Rainer Wiens were held up at the airport and didn't make the concert. As a substitution, the audience was treated to a tape of the group New Tokyo Berlin York, playing Johnny Reinhard's Circle. This piece had an improvisatory feel using percussion, didjeridu and bassoon. custom percussion - Yoshiaki Ochi didjeridu - Ulrich Krieger bassoon - Johnny Reinhard A rare world premier of Wendy Carlos's Afterlife featured the AFMM chorus, violin, cello, fretless bass, conga, timpani and tape. Using a combination of 12 and 15 tone equal temperament the piece certainly gave us a taste of the scary uncertainty of the Afterlife. The piece will soon be released as part of Carlos's new CD, Tales of Heaven and Hell. American Festival of Microtonal Music Chorus: Meredith Borden, Piera F. Paine, Mayumi Reinhard, Elizabeth Lee, Brendan Glynn and Gabriel Mendlow violin - Tom Chiu cello - David Eggar electric fretless bass guitar - Brad Catler timpani and conga - Louis Winsberg My picks: Nightbird and Afterlife. Stay tuned for more... see you all at the next 3 concerts of the festival on May 21, 22 and 23? D a v i d B e a r d s l e y .. dmb5561719@aol.com * .. * ... .* .... *...... . ..* I M M P & B i i n k! m u s i c . .. * .. .. * .. J u x t a p o s i t i o n Ezine * . .. * . .*.. . .. . . .*. . . . . .. .. http://www.virtulink.com/immp/lookhere.htm . .. .*.. . .. . ..*. . .. . *. Received: from ns.ezh.nl [137.174.112.59] by vbv40.ezh.nl with SMTP-OpenVMS via TCP/IP; Sun, 18 May 1997 18:11 +0200 Received: by ns.ezh.nl; (5.65v3.2/1.3/10May95) id AA04949; Sun, 18 May 1997 18:11:12 +0200 Date: Sun, 18 May 1997 18:11:12 +0200 Received: from ella.mills.edu by ns (smtpxd); id XA04952 Received: (qmail 26527 invoked from network); 18 May 1997 16:11:08 -0000 Received: from localhost (HELO ella.mills.edu) (127.0.0.1) by localhost with SMTP; 18 May 1997 16:11:08 -0000 Message-Id: <337F2DAA.79AD@dnvr.uswest.net> Errors-To: madole@mills.edu Reply-To: tuning@eartha.mills.edu Originator: tuning@eartha.mills.edu Sender: tuning@eartha.mills.edu