ECCE presents ITALIAN/AMERICAN at DiMenna Center, 2/17

ECCE presents Italian/American showcasing premieres and works from Elliott Carter, John Aylward, Clara Iannotta, and Salvatore Sciarrino conducted by Nicholas DeMaison.

Taking place on Saturday, February 17th at 7:30pm at The DiMenna Center for Classical Music, the program features Elliott Carter's classic Triple Duo, Clara Iannotta's Limun, Salvatore Sciarrino's Tre Notturni Brillanti, and the New York premiere of Angelus Novus, a new monodrama written by ECCE's Artistic Director and Guggenheim fellow '17, John Aylward. Dedicated to Aylward's late teacher, composer Lee Hyla, Angelus Novus will be performed by Darmstadt prize-winning soprano Nina Guo with movement by Colin Gee, and costumes by Alex Posen.

Saturday, February 17, 2018 7:30pm
The DiMenna Center for Classical Music
450 W. 37th St., New York, NY 10018
(212) 594-6100
Tickets: $20; $10 for Students with ID
www.dimennacenter.org

On the Program:
Salvatore Sciarrino Tre Notturni Brillanti
I. Di volo

II. Scorrevole e animato

III. Prestissimo precipitamo

Elliott Carter Triple Duo

INTERMISSION

Clara Iannotta Limun for violin and viola

John Aylward Angelus Novus

Soprano: Nina Guo

Movement: Colin Gee
Costumes: Alex Posen

Salvatore Sciarrino wondrously examines the extent of the viola's expression across three contrasting nocturnes for viola, each deepening the expressivity of the instrument in ways previously unknown. Sciarrino's work can sometimes have a very traditional form despite the fantastical sounds he manifests. This work is no different: a kind of trio of contrasting forms, much like a set of etudes. And by using a traditional formal structure, Sciarrino helps us focus on his language, which is a delicate and personal expression of sound, sometimes as object and sometimes in the service of his broader narrative.

Elliott Carter's Triple Duo is considered one of the masterpieces of the 20th Century. For an ensemble of six musicians, the work treats the ensemble as three pairs of instruments: flute/clarinet, violin/cello, piano/percussion. Carter's program note says, "Each of these pairs has its own repertory of ideas and moods. This free fantasy involves various contrasts, conflicts and reconciliations between the three duos." The work is one of the more demanding pieces in Carter's repertoire and requires a great deal of care in preparing the contrapuntal lines so that the instruments' high level of independence can be heard. Triple Duo was composed during 1982 in Waccabuc, New York.

Written as part of the 'Voix nouvelles' programme at Fondation Royaumont, Limun is dedicated to Barbara Maurer and Melise Mellinger of ensemble recherche who gave the first performance and have since performed it around Europe.

Angelus Novus is a kind of philosophical treatise in music. Taking Paul Klee's work, Angelus Novus, and Walter Benjamin's famous description of the work as entry point, the work quickly spirals into metaphysical and theological realms, with texts from Schopenhauer, Jung, Freud, D.H. Lawrence, Plato and Weldon Kees nested in a referential and fluid form. Angelus Novus explores how a range of vocal techniques can illuminate adapted prose in poetic form. The work alternates between intimate moments in which the soprano dialogues with singular instruments and expansive moments where the full ensemble reinforces a range of vocal expressivity. The piece was written over the course of three years, from 2013-2016, while Aylward was composing an opera and numerous other instrumental works.

ECCE is an ensemble of culturally and socially engaged creative and performing artists. Core to their mission is performance of new music of all kinds and collaboration with creative performers and thinkers across disciplines.

Their activities encompass an annual concert season, collaboration with a roster of institutional partners across the globe, and a summer music festival where they teach and perform the works of a new generation of artists. Photo Credit: Jonathan Dana
www.eccearts.com

Hailing from Pasadena, CA, soprano Nina Guo has been drawn to new music since high school. While completing her Bachelor's of Music at New England Conservatory (Boston), Nina sang with NEC's modern and avant-garde chamber ensembles, nec[shivaree] and Contemporary Ensemble. By spending her summers at the Summer Institute of Contemporary Performance Practice (Sick Puppy) and the Darmstadt Courses for New Music, Nina expanded her musical perspective and honed her extended technique skills. She is a recipient the NEC's John Cage Award for Outstanding Contribution to Contemporary Music Performance (2015). In 2016, she was awarded one of the Stipendium prizes at the Darmstadt Courses and is invited to return to the courses in 2018. More importantly, she is eternally grateful for the mentorship of Lisa Saffer, Steve Drury, John Heiss, and Stratis Minakakis, and is constantly inspired by her colleagues' and friends' hard work and incredible creativity. Nina is currently pursuing a Master's degree in Sound Studies and Sonic Arts at the Universität der Künste in Berlin. www.facesound.org