I hadn't realized that it's been so long ...

Lots has happened since my last post. Self-funding a recording is currently off the cards, for non-musical reasons which I won't go into. I'm still thinking about it, but I'll need to find considerable funding before I can take the plunge.

I have a faculty recital scheduled for Sept. 30 at 4 pm in the Werner Recital Hall at CCM (University of Cincinnati). Featured on the program will be a new chamber version of From Her Husband's Hand, with Diane Hunger on Alto Sax. She will also play the chamber version of Remembering the Night Sky. These two works will be split by Labyrinth, which was recorded last January by the Society for New Music. I made the first edits during the summer, and I look forward to hearing the rough cut.

I recently discovered NotePerformer3 and have made good quality audio files of Symphony No. 3 and Chaos. Although there are some minor balance issues (software related, I think), both recordings sound almost real at times. I've also embarked on a revision of Symphony No. 1, basically to take away the embarrassing bits in the third movement and clean up some other spots that sound a little square. I don't know if it will ever be as good as the second or third symphonies, but I there are some good things in it which deserve to be heard. It should sound pretty good in NotePerformer, since there isn't anything unusual in it, like aleatorics. FWIW, Dystopian Sunset sounds really good, too, except for the "Clouds" which seem to no longer be a 1/4-tone after the first cloud. I don't know why it resets and I can't seem to un-reset it. The balance between the two ensembles is wrong, too. Again, I can't seem to adjust it.

I've got a few projects on: a piece for Tenor Sax and string quartet for Diane Hunger. I'm not entirely sure about another project. I have some piano concerto sketches and more symphonic sketches, one of them being part of the piano concerto, before the piano comes in. It may be two pieces, a second piano concerto and Sym. No. 4 (or a concerto for orchestra), since I'm not sure the material goes together.

I must go teach now, so I'll post more when I have time.

The Master's Hammer

Well, I've not been here much lately. I still haven't finished proofing Symphony No 2, as I've been rather busy. After the passing of Pierre Boulez, I decided to write an homage for him (the image above doesn't show the dedication). In fact, the Syracuse University Contemporary Music Ensemble was already planning to perform Messiaen's Quartet for the End of Time on April 13, so we decided to dedicate the concert to Boulez, Messiaen's student. Unfortunately, we couldn't afford to rent a Boulez work for the program, so instead, I put a call out to SU faculty to write short pieces in memory of Boulez that would complement the Quartet.

In addition to new pieces by Andrew Waggoner and Avram Finberg, I've composed The Master's Hammer, based on the row for Le Marteau sans Maître, divided into sets in my usual way, but also transformed to get a better variety of intervals in my sets.

That's what I've been working on when I'm not teaching, or typesetting, or writing grant proposals, or getting over a nasty cold.

Next up, I need to write my SNM commission for next March, an 18-minute piece for 8 instruments, probably featuring violin and cello as a quasi double concerto. I'll probably also spend a couple of days proofing my Symphony No. 2.