ARTS

Student Composers' work the same as it ever was

by Emily Manzo

Concerts of works by students in the composition department this year have been identical in their strengths and weaknesses. The scenario is strikingly similar to an independent literary-zine phenomenon: extremely creative material, but in an un-polished format and in desperate need of an editor. On the whole, composition majors and a core of performance-major "regulars" came out Tuesday night presenting good music but with obviously little rehearsal time or preperation.

Sophomore Wally Scharold's "Daddylonglegz" combined free jazz emsemble, string quintet and percussion trio for an excitingly amped resonance in Warner Conert Hall. The piece required two conductors just to guide the dichotomy of classical and jazz on the stage and the collective ensemble barely managed to have moments in agreement. Sophomore trumpet player J.Q. Whitcomb's wail in a climax near the end marked one of these magical moments.

Scharold's combination of improvisation and set material, as well as the addition of experimental sounds and timbres made for a continuosly entertaining work. With a tighter performance space and tighter performance, in general, Scharold's tunes would have carried and transitions between sections could have been much smoother.

"Movement for string orchestra and piano" by first-year student Grisha Krivchenia was an infecting work, much like the effects of interstate-rest-stop-crack-coffee. One felt an initial tingling sensation in Krivchenia's short string jabs at the beginning and a sense of frenetic anxiety set in not long after. The sound escalated only as far as a mild climax, and the piece ended with that stale feeling of a caffeine low, searching the roadside for the next Denny's.

First-year Noah Kaufman's "Resurrections" for soprano, flute, oboe and bassoon provided some very evocative surprises. Whipping out everything from cheezy pop lyrics to apples and packets of sugar, Sophmore singer Claire Thompson provided much for the listener and observer. Kaufman's sections were a good length, and his textural choices extremely innovative.

The stage set-up shifted for Junior Katherine Miller's "Subliminal for 8 flutes," featuring the performers at the back of concert hall. Miller's work had a definite surface, created by continuously shifting material among the eight players. Along with this constant undercurrent, the effect of the music coming from behind made the entire listening experience a much more intimate one.

Highlighting the program's second half, "3 Pianos, 6 Composers, 12 hands" was all composition department shits-and-giggles. The piece contained six caricatures of students Jim Alteri, Jon Brooks, Vincent Calianno, Corey Dargel, Rob Reich and Wally Scharold, performed collectively. The personality showcase was well-arranged, including a perfect opening with Altieri's "no f#," a lift in spirit at Calianno's backwards Batman theme and an excellent end-puctuation with Reich's "a drop of milk falls into a blinking eye."

"evolution 21/21" by Kate Peterson was performed quite convincingly by the composer and Altieri, Dargel, Junior Kendra Juul, Sophmore Jessica Rossi. Reciting texts and adding other primarily animalistic noises, the group was "conducted" by Calianno. Calianno's main role was to watch a clock and cue the timed intervals of recitations. The rhythmic variety and vocal counterpoint that came as a result of this indeterminate score was very interesting.

First-year vocalist Shinnerie Jackson and Sophomore pianist Sanja Petricic gave a lovely performance of first-year student Erin Hollins' "Don't Wake My Mother." With humorous lyrics and a fairly substantial piano part, the piece had potential as more of a duet than vocal solo. Somewhere between the writing and perhaps the performance, Hollins' work fell short in cohesion.

The program ended with Calianno's "Your Eyes Were Drawn Curtains-Remembering" as performed by Junior Kivie Cahn-Lipman, Sophomore John Tarcza and the composer. The trio had some beautiful moments but was blaringly un-rehearsed. Employing lack of preperation as a "chance" procedure, the performance had very interesting collaborative workings, that maybe shouldn't have been so interesting.

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Copyright © 1998, The Oberlin Review.
Volume 127, Number 12, December 11, 1998

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