Tomorrow evening, SMTD’s Contemporary Directions Ensemble will present an entire program of works by living composers, their second concert of the semester. This student ensemble, under the direction of Oriol Sans, is known for their expertise in taking on the difficult music of today.
On the program for this concert is Lembit Beecher’s “The Art of Remembering,” in which the University of Michigan alum captures the “pain and sorrow beneath the placid surface of [his grandmother’s] storytelling,” in addition to Frederic Rzewski’s “Coming Together,” a deeply political work for spoken voice and ensemble. In her program notes, Missy Mazzoli says that “Set that on Fire” captures her goal as a composer to operate “in favor of the fire,” capturing “the potentially dangerous and vibrant ideas that come out of nowhere.” The program also includes the “grand, awkward, epic, silent, funny, and just a bit creepy” percussion quartet, “Taxidermy,” and “Increase” for large ensemble, which were written by Pulitzer Prize winning composers Caroline Shaw and David Lang.
If you’re not very familiar with contemporary art music, it might be in your best interest to click on the links above and listen to the pieces beforehand. I went to CDE’s last concert, where they presented works by Kaija Saariaho and David T. Little, and it floored me. I am looking forward to hearing what they present next!
The concert begins at 8pm and will take place in Hankinson Rehearsal Hall, which is inside the Earl V. Moore Building on North Campus. Admission is free. Come listen to the music of today performed at a very high level!
