Freedmen of the Five Civilized Tribes

Valerie Coleman  (b. 1970)

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Permutation Seven

Tania León  (b. 1943)

Kammermusik no. 1

Paul Hindemith  (1895-1963)

I. Sehr schnell und wild

II. Mäßig schnelle Halbe. Sehr streng im Rhythmus

III. Quartett: Sehr langsam und mit Ausdruck - Ein wenig belebter - Wieder ruhig

IV. Finale 1921: Lebhaft

Intermission

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Dead White Man Music

Evan Williams (b. 1988)

Tigran Buniatyan, harpsichord

I. Fantasia on "Es ist genug"

II. Flow (My Tears)

III. Toccata

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Expanding the boundaries of classical music

By Warren Cohen and Evan Williams

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Valerie Coleman: Freedmen of the Five Civilized Tribes

Valerie Coleman’s music reflects her background as both a flutist and as a black woman. Perhaps more than any other contemporary composer, her music pays tribute to the heritage of black classical music from the mid-20th century by composers such as William Grant Still and Florence Price. Nowhere is this clearer than in the work we are presenting today.

The harmonic language, with its suggestion of pentatonic and modal music, and the use of softly dissonant chords and sudden changes of mood and expression reflect these traditions. The title of the piece is a reference to the forced removal of the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Muscogee (Creek), and Seminole tribes, with a number of Black slaves, from the Southeast United States to so-called “Indian Territory” (now Oklahoma) 1830 and 1850 in what is now called the Trail of Tears. Despite this, the music itself is uplifting and hopeful, as though even in the most horrific of times the spirit of the people could not be broken.

Tania León: Permutation Seven

Tania León has had a remarkable career as a composer and conductor. Born in Cuba in 1943, she moved to the United States in 1967 after already garnering a strong reputation in her home country as a musician. She felt that Cuba’s music scene, although fascinating, was limiting her development, and wanted to expand her musical horizons. She originally intended to move to Europe, but when an opportunity to move to the United States came, she took it instead.

She quickly established herself as an important figure in the American modern and avant-garde music scene. The work we are performing today, from 1983, represents her most extreme venture into nontraditional performance techniques. It involves stage directions, audience participation, and improvisation. The music itself represents an extraordinary synthesis of atonal and tonal factors. Much of the composed music is presented in unison and octaves, and it contains reminders of her devotion to various Latin American styles of music. The sound world and non-musical factors will certainly remind people of the music of Frank Zappa.

Paul Hindemith: Kammermusik no.1

Although most people think of Paul Hindemith as the composer of didactic sonatas for every instrument you can think of, early in his career he was very much the “bad boy“ of German music, no more so than in this remarkable essay from 1922. It embodies the spirit of adventure and experimentation of the Weimar Republic, although the quiet third movement, for only four instruments, demonstrates that even at this early stage of his career he was capable of writing beautiful and heartfelt music.

But this is followed immediately by some of the craziest seven minutes of music he ever wrote. He tries to invoke the bar scene of Berlin in 1921, and in the midst of the various chattering sounds, he introduces a popular tune of the day that competes with the noise of the crowd. It is an extraordinarily cheeky experiment and certainly an interesting way to overcome the starchiness and predictability of traditional classical music.

Evan Williams: Dead White Man Music

Program notes by the composer

The “Great Man” theory was a view of history popular in the 19th century that posited that society was advanced by a succession of “great men,” who influenced history through the centuries. It may come as no surprise that the majority of these men (besides notable exceptions such as Jesus or Mohammed) were White. In recent decades, such views of history have been criticized, and the contributions of women and people of color have been studied in greater detail.

However, even today, there is perhaps no better field of study to see the Great Man theory at work than in the classical canon. The music of long-deceased White male Europeans reigns supreme in concert and recital halls, and these men are credited with all of the stylistic progressions of Western art music. To put it bluntly, the performance and study of the canon is one of dead White man music, and that fact often feels like a barrier for female composers and those of color that must be overcome.

Dead White Man Music serves as a personal reflection on this issue, and my own place in classical music as a young Black composer. This concerto for harpsichord draws on inspiration and influences across the centuries: from Bach and Dowland to Julius Eastman and Nina Simone, and from the Baroque Folia to post-minimalism and rock. Through the work I ask: What music am I called to write and who should be my models? 

Dead White Man Music was commissioned by Urban Playground Chamber Orchestra, through the generous support of over 60 donors through a crowd-funding campaign. The concerto was written for harpsichordist Daniel Walden. 

About the soloist

Tigran Buniatyan received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in organ and harpsichord from Oberlin Conservatory of Music and bachelor’s and master’s degrees in musicology from Yerevan State Conservatory. He is a candidate for a doctoral degree in organ at Arizona State University.

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Mr. Buniatyan has been featured in the New York Times and his recordings have been broadcast on American Public Media. As a performer on historical keyboard instruments, he has participated in numerous international music festivals and conferences, including concert series with Matteo Imbruno, Beth Wenstrom, Jeanne Lamon. His repertoire mostly consists of works of the North German Organ School. Pursuing his interests in this field, Mr. Buniatyan has performed on many historical organs across northern Europe.

MusicaNova Orchestra

Violin 1: Spencer Ekenes

    John and Elizabeth McKinnon chair

Violin 2: Luke Hill

     Dr. Robert Dixon Chair

Viola: Megan Bender

     Dominique van Stadt and Octavio Parajo chair

Cello: Maria Simiz

     Ed and Cynthia DuBrow chair

Bass: Nathan Benitez 

Flute / piccolo / alto: Lisa Tharp Friedman  

Oboe: Tiffany Pan

     Nina Gurin memorial chair

Clarinet: Kristin Garnaat  

     Robert & Cynthia Leger chair

Bassoon: Kristilyn Woods

French Horn: Martha Edwards

Trumpet: Stephen Martin

Percussion: Sonja Branch

     David & Dory Mawyer chair

Keyboard 1: Sungmin Kim

Keyboard 2: Hsaio-Hsi Hsieh

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