INVISIBLE THREADS
At a time when the challenge of isolation is deeply felt in daily life, music helps us weave “invisible threads” of connection among composers, artists and audiences. For this program, I wove together music by contemporary and Baroque composers, each one representing a personal vision and unique subject. Gillian Whitehead’s music draws upon the natural landscapes of her native New Zealand, and Bright Silence depicts the “sounds, silences and ghosts” of the rocky plateau of Central Otago. Clare Glackin’s Four Creatures of the Middle Ages contains four jewel-like miniatures, depicting her playful take on mythological beasts. The Sonata No. 2 by prominent Polish violinist Grażyna Bacewicz presents a virtuosic, yet sarcastic and dark perspective, and Missy Mazzoli’s work Dissolve, O My Heart, is a direct, personal response to the enduring power of Bach’s Chaconne. Like all modern solo violin music, the technical demands and musical textures of these pieces pay homage to Bach’s Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin. The program concludes with Bach’s majestic Partita No. 2 in D minor, with Mazzoli’s work connecting the contemporary and the Baroque.
released September 14, 2020 on Bandcamp
ABOUT THE AUGMENTED REALITY PROJECT
In addition to this recording, I worked with a technology company on this program to offer performances in “augmented reality.” Using their phone’s technology, audience members attend a virtual performance, where they can look around the hall by moving their phone or tablet, and hear changes in the sound as they move virtually in the space.
The Union Church in Claremont, NH and the Strings Music Festival in Steamboat Springs, CO presented this concert in the fall of 2020. The audience experienced live performance videos remastered to match the acoustics of the actual space.
Valley News feature on the concert: www.vnews.com/Out---About-West-Claremont-Center-for-Music-and-the-Arts-hosts-augmented-reality-concert-36143452
Strings Music Festival Report on the concert: bit.ly/Strings2020Report