The obligatory "whatcha workin' on?" thread

[Steve Layton]

Latest composition you're in the middle of, just finished, or is an idea just swimming around in your head? Performance on the horizon? Enquiring minds want to know!

My own just-finished piece is "Dark Water", the recording of which is up on my member page here. It's part of a group of pieces and fragments I'm doing for my Italian friend Marco Lucchi (he's here on NNM, too; drop by & say hi); his big project this year is the "Orchestra Eclettica e Sincretista". He supplied the "bed" piano track, and I filled in the rest.

But that's old news to me... I want to hear about what y'all (hey, I'm a pseudo-Texan now, that's how we have to say it) are up to.

[Jeff Harrington]

Dark Water was really cool! Reminded me of that Nono tuba piece. Static and watery and deep.

I just finished two big brass pieces, well 3 if you count a 1 minute Fanfare, and I'm starting a septet for a group out of Sao Paolo. The conductor has been working with arranging LvB's 9th Symphony for this same septet for a famous death-metal band, Sepultura's new album, so I've got to rock at least as hard as that. Going to be fun!

[James Ross]

Working on a series of pieces for the zhongruan, a type of Chinese lute. Some of the pieces have blues structures, like "Sichuan Blues," which is posted on my member page, one features fragments of a traditional Chinese melody. It's a conservative project. I wanted to produce some solo pieces that I could perform and that would be, well, accessible.
A piece for solo clarinet and field recordings (NYC subway sounds) is looming.
Very interested in hearing what others are working on (and maybe nicking an idea or two.)

[Carolyn Bremer]

I'll jump in. Today, it is a work for wind ensemble commissioned by the Best of the West Select Band 2008 at Mesa State College in Grand Junction, CO. Next is a piece for my new "new music band" The Trench Ensemble. We're starting up in September and I am really excited about us playing and composing together. We're a sax, electric guitar, electric bass (me), keyboards, two percussion (including two mallet kats), and a tech/video creator. And all of this is sandwiched in a (hopefully short) hiatus from an opera, Laughing Out Loud. The first act will be heard in workshop on Cal State Long Beach's opera scenes in November and the full production is slated for 09-10. Back to working on that in early September...

[Steve Layton]

Two mallet kats! sounds like an incredibly fun ensemble, Carolyn. I'm admiring your energy, too.

And James, I heard the "Sichuan Blues" piece off your page here. Really tasy.

Carolyn Bremer said:

I'll jump in. Today, it is a work for wind ensemble commissioned by the Best of the West Select Band 2008 at Mesa State College in Grand Junction, CO. Next is a piece for my new "new music band" The Trench Ensemble. We're starting up in September and I am really excited about us playing and composing together. We're a sax, electric guitar, electric bass (me), keyboards, two percussion (including two mallet kats), and a tech/video creator. And all of this is sandwiched in a (hopefully short) hiatus from an opera, Laughing Out Loud. The first act will be heard in workshop on Cal State Long Beach's opera scenes in November and the full production is slated for 09-10. Back to working on that in early September...

[Corey Bertelsen]

Donotoni's "Omar" for vibraphone, writing etudes based on math core, doing some arrangements

and I'm in the market for percussion solos and duos... just throwing it out there.

[Iván Sparrow]

I'm about to finish a string quartet. It's the second in a long series of two. Its notation is a bit unorthodox, and the players need to learn a new way to play their instruments for some parts. It's not hard, but it's different, at least to the eye, which is probably the reason that several ensembles have been intrigued but haven't plunged into it. So now the question begs to be asked, do any of you know of a brave and inquisitive string quartet that might take a look at it?

[J.C. Combs]

"bats in the belfry", a collection of piano miniatures from 10 seconds to 3 minutes in length. A minimum of 20, but I'm shooting for 40 .

[Carolyn Bremer]

I have always found the string quartet the most conservative ensemble, sad to say. There are those handful of amazing pioneers (and one might think that other string quartets would look at the success of quartets playing new music and change their focus...), but they are few and far between.

I find this especially true among students playing in quartets. Our student composers have a terrible time getting quartets read or played, so much so that they've opted to try to hire professional musicians to play at least a few of their pieces this ear.

Not the answer you were hoping for, I know, but at least a validation that it isn't you and your music causing the difficulties.

Iván Sparrow said:

I'm about to finish a string quartet. It's the second in a long series of two. Its notation is a bit unorthodox, and the players need to learn a new way to play their instruments for some parts. It's not hard, but it's different, at least to the eye, which is probably the reason that several ensembles have been intrigued but haven't plunged into it. So now the question begs to be asked, do any of you know of a brave and inquisitive string quartet that might take a look at it?

[Iván Sparrow]

Thanks Carolyn. I not only agree with you, but lament this situation, and not just for personal reasons.

Your answer made me think of a break-up lover's quarrel where a string quartet ensemble finally says to a composer: "I'm sorry. It's not you, it's me."

Carolyn Bremer said:

I find this especially true among students playing in quartets. Our student composers have a terrible time getting quartets read or played, so much so that they've opted to try to hire professional musicians to play at least a few of their pieces this ear.

Not the answer you were hoping for, I know, but at least a validation that it isn't you and your music causing the difficulties.

[Elliot Cole]

Hey, its great to hear what other people are working on. I think we're a lot better at showing our enthusiasm for our current projects than for our past projects. That's something I'm trying to work on: taking a lot of notes while I compose so that I can resurrect the thinking -- and more importantly the enthusiasm -- later on.

I'm in the middle of a few things:
A book of rounds about my travels in Egypt.
A cycle of 12 short pieces for harp, based loosely on Stockhausen's stunning Tierkreis cycle. Here's one.
and a second record of avant-hop with Brad Balliett -- a retelling of Stravinsky's Rake's Progress. The Oracle Hysterical was our first effort together.

And hello everybody -- I'm glad to find out about this space --

[Steve Layton]

The rounds are a strange (but cheeky!) idea. The "Rake's Progress" adaptation is even weirder; Are you doing the whole thing/selected/compressed? The "Tierkreis"-ish pieces are a wonderful idea. I hope to hear how all these turn out.

Elliot Cole said:

Hey, its great to hear what other people are working on. I think we're a lot better at showing our enthusiasm for our current projects than for our past projects. That's something I'm trying to work on: taking a lot of notes while I compose so that I can resurrect the thinking -- and more importantly the enthusiasm -- later on.

I'm in the middle of a few things:
A book of rounds about my travels in Egypt.
A cycle of 12 short pieces for harp, based loosely on Stockhausen's stunning Tierkreis cycle. Here's one.
and a second record of avant-hop with Brad Balliett -- a retelling of Stravinsky's Rake's Progress. The Oracle Hysterical was our first effort together.

And hello everybody -- I'm glad to find out about this space --

[Elliot Cole]

Brad is writing all his own words, but the premise, arc and characters of the Rake's Progress will be preserved. I'm sure we'll sample it a fair amount too.

And I'm kind of nuts about Tierkreis -- I'm glad you're interested! A month ago, two friends of mine and I decided to write a whole cycle based on it, and write it really fast. We put on a concert right away. It was a big success, and I think it's a project that is worth repeating.

Consider writing something based on one of those melodies (and you can of course interpret that as freely as you want). I'm starting a collection.

Here are a few more from the concert. Video of the whole thing should come up next week.


Steve Layton said:

The rounds are a strange (but cheeky!) idea. The "Rake's Progress" adaptation is even weirder; Are you doing the whole thing/selected/compressed? The "Tierkreis"-ish pieces are a wonderful idea. I hope to hear how all these turn out.

Elliot Cole said:

Hey, its great to hear what other people are working on. I think we're a lot better at showing our enthusiasm for our current projects than for our past projects. That's something I'm trying to work on: taking a lot of notes while I compose so that I can resurrect the thinking -- and more importantly the enthusiasm -- later on.

I'm in the middle of a few things:
A book of rounds about my travels in Egypt.
A cycle of 12 short pieces for harp, based loosely on Stockhausen's stunning Tierkreis cycle. Here's one.
and a second record of avant-hop with Brad Balliett -- a retelling of Stravinsky's Rake's Progress. The Oracle Hysterical was our first effort together.

And hello everybody -- I'm glad to find out about this space --