Tuesday, February 26, 2008

One recital down, hundreds more to go

We all helped out with Scott's concert Friday night, and it was tons of fun. Great turnout, great music, great reception afterwards. Here are his unique program notes, which should give you a sense of what kind of ensemble we've put together.


Commiseration Celebration

“I cried when I wrote this song. Sue me if I play too long.”

- Donald Fagen

“Our little group has always been and always will until the end.”

-Kurt Cobain



Thank you all so much for being here. This recital is for all of you, my friends, performing, attending, here in spirit and those I absent-mindedly forgot to tell about it. Those of you who were present for last semester’s recital may make note of the narcissistic (tongue-in-cheek though, hopefully) focus. This one should be as opposite as a self-obsessed composer like myself can get. It would be easy for me to say something like, “I couldn’t have lasted as long as I have without God or without music.” But I’ve realized that I would certainly not know either without friends. This is why in these notes I will write about the pieces only in writing about the wonderful people performing them. People that deserve to be written about as musicians and composers, but as I’m hardly qualified to write at all, I am certainly not qualified to analyze the complexity of the oeuvre inside those composer/performers present here tonight. I regret not taking any earlier opportunity I may have had to pay tribute to the rest of you who’ve cared so much to attend and encouraged me these past months and years. Let it be an open invitation for cheap commissions, as I would gladly write for you and gush about you as well in the following manner. <<>>

Biljana: someone who gives out hugs soon after you first meet her, my adopted sister, who despite her schedule, has taken time to interpret what may be an extremely abstruse piece of music tonight. It is no small thing to have a performer like her who cares so much about the piece. And she’s doing it for love of her brother, Scott. The original idea for this recital concept was this piece, as a way to pay tribute to someone who has had automatic empathy for me since I met her, calling to make sure I wasn’t lonely, offering rides to the grocery perpetually and a ton of little things that emanate unadulterated warmth, which is keenly included in a kind of half serious instruction about how to treat people. This is a lesson we all occasionally need, and it is impossible to ignore when coming from Biljana, who is as strong-willed as she is warm. She is not shy if she sees an injustice of etiquette.

Nick, first of all, has written the most sublime, wonderful, and thoughtful vibraphone piece I have ever attempted to play or ever heard. I only mention this because it speaks to his emotional generosity when he consoles the performer who just butchered his piece, which happened not too long ago. His honesty can be best portrayed by his utterance regarding I-don’t-know-what not too long ago – “I’ll have an open mind about it, well, maybe not open, but it won’t be closed.” These points of conversation – all things musical and political et al are attacked with a passion both fiery and non-intimidating. He is also the main conduit to my Ashkenazic roots, an extremely important part of my identity, which he not only helps me to understand better, but helps our Semitic-composer contingent explain things to the gentile contingent, such as Zane.

Zane, who has his finger on the pulse of everyone’s neuroses, can be sensitive to the mental/emotional web-work that could be happening inside someone else, unbeknownst to everyone else. This, I’m sure, branches from his honesty regarding his own neurosis, which has always been amazingly forthright without ever being whiny, and is therefore a great comfort to those around him. This aspect of his personality has been paramount to the success of putting this recital together. Of course his adroit musicianship is very much on display this evening as well. His talents as a composer/performer are a great gift to all the composers who might ever meet him, as he is always looking not only for new pieces, but new challenges. I would also be remiss to not mention his excellent word choice in everyday conversation.

Adam has a few favorite words and catch phrases himself. When we think of Adam, we think ‘wonderful’, ‘beautiful’ and ‘prove it.’ Adam must be one of the mellowest people I have ever met. A few of us were wondering just the other day how Adam could possibly act if he was at all angry. No one had any idea, as we haven’t ever seen anything even close come from him. Even when the Giants beat the Patriots in the Super Bowl, he was mostly just a little annoyed by the prospect of some kind of 8-month New England Kvel. He projects this as a composer and a performer as well, because his main goal for others is always that they have fun. Despite this positive outlook, or because of it, he is always very capable of appreciating the darker side of artistic expression and/or humour.

Josh, who has an even darker sense of humour, slammed his head straight down on a piano during a performance on yesterday’s convocation with so much conviction that I am still thinking about it now. In performance and compositionally, commitment is paramount in Josh’s work. Personality-wise it is no different. Josh is the master of gesture; he still pays attention to the trees and the forest simultaneously, which is a lesson I could certainly use. In our little group, Josh is my brother in Avant-Garde or performance art, or whatever one might call it, the way Zane is my brother in Jazz and Zappa fan-dom and Matt, my brother in the pop world.

Matt is also my brother in the world of taking a bunch of time off before going to graduate school, though he had a much more substantial respite, playing and writing for musical theater out in Wild West. Hailing from way out there, he shares the laid back style of Adam, but in a particular California kind of way. By that I mean that he doesn’t seem to even possess the concept of neurosis that an East coaster, at best, sloughs off and/or ignores. The one member of Ensemble 48 with whom I could hold a conversation about professional football, Matt’s also the guy with whom I would often talk about the ladies (which Zane found quite amusing as Matt and I are the oldest in the group) –albeit mostly before certain very positive life changing events.

Megan, the only non-composer member of Ensemble 48, is sometimes a little meek, often apologetic and always too humble. A big part of the way this piece is written is to take advantage of her incredible and powerful stage presence, which the rest of our little group has witnessed in the several months we’ve known her. She is yet another friend who, despite her busy schedule (including an upcoming March 6th recital), which in turn is due to her incomparable talent, has not only tackled a very challenging piece of music, but she was also engaged in what is not exactly a normal recording session as part of the piece. I cannot decide if the greatest joy of writing this piece was seeing/hearing how much child-like fun Megan had when we were recording and playing a violin with contact microphones and little super balls, or how malleable and quick she was in rehearsing the piece when I would get a flash and want to change this, that, or the other thing.

Lydia, along with her mother, also let me get the piece to her kind of late and let me work out the composer’s whim on many elements of another very challenging piece. Most of my feelings for Lydia are ineffable. I have witnessed on many occasions, in the short time I’ve know her, people thanking Lydia for helping them through an emotional rough patch and making their day, that much brighter by her very presence. This was, through pure effortless kindness and curiosity on her part, the environment of our first meeting. I have become lucky enough to get more than my fair share of this gift and can never be thankful enough. I have also never met someone who has taught me more about the sacredness of every single thing in this world. She leads softly and by example. What she has taught me about confidence and generosity and thankfulness and perspective will stay with me for the rest of my life.

I can see this generosity of spirit is one of the gifts Lydia has received from her mother, Catherine Bringerud, who was need not put the amount of effort, open mindedness and care in the work of a young composer as she has. As all of us here at Butler witness at least once a week, Mrs. Bringerud is a consummate professional. I am honored, humbled, and thankful to have her wonderful contribution not only to this recital tonight, but to the development of the piece.

There is a reception with sumptuous delights. Some are culinary representatives of the pieces you’ve heard tonight even.

Final Quick Point. I’ve gotten a little flack for my use of the word commiseration. Perhaps we have to take a kind of Beckettian perspective to come to an agreement. (Or maybe I’m full of crap. But let’s give it a whirl anyway). I don’t see commiseration as a negative thing, because one could see all camaraderie as Sympathy (capital S), because one does not necessarily looks at life as a naturally happy predicament. But, like a true Beckettian, we have to accept, be content with and even love this fact. The great gift is that one can talk, kvetch and share with those who share the same experience, and therefore take solace in the camaraderie, the commiseration —Friends.

Sharing the things we know and love, with those of our kind.

              -Donald Fagen

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Celtics Come to Town

Let me know if I'm putting up too many pictures, but I always like having some visuals for my stories. Anyways, the Boston Celtics played the Indiana Pacers last night, so of course I took the opportunity to see my hometown team in all its glory. The Pacers play in the Conseco Fieldhouse right downtown, so I got a ticket for $10 plus $5 service charge, that's not a bad deal where I come from. The arena is beautiful, some people call it the "Camden Yards" of basketball, and it really is a fantastic facility.
I got there early and was able to watch Big Baby and Kendrick Perkins working on their low-post moves, which was awesome.
Later on the rest of the team came out to warm up and do lay-up lines, with the cheerleaders in the middle and the Pacers on the left.
I have to admit, the intro was pretty cool. Not quite as cool as the Bull-Riding Championship intros, but still cool.
And here's a beauty of Rondo going in for the layup.
It was a great game, my seat was fine, but some time in my life I would love to sit on the first level, it must be so much fun. The crowd even started getting into it as the Pacers pulled ahead in the fourth quarter, but as expected we were too much for them. Somehow my Red Sox jersey didn't jinx us, so maybe this is God's way of telling me to leave the superstitions up to Nomar.

Sunday, February 10, 2008

From Scratch to Performance in 24 Hours

Last night we finished our inaugural 24-hour Composition/Recital, and no, there are no typos in that sentence. We got together Friday night to draw names and roll dice to see who would write for how many and what instruments. We disbanded around 10:30PM and each set off to our own respective composition-crypts to finish our pieces as quickly as possible, because most of Saturday was spent rehearsing. I finished mine at 5:30AM, so clearly I was full of energy by the time the concert started at 8PM Saturday night. Incredibly, the concert was a great success, as the turnout was fantastic and the pieces came out wonderfully.

Zane conducts his piece entitled "Tiger Driver ‘91" with Scott on the marimba and Aaron on the trombone. Apparently the name of the piece is an old Japanese wrestling move.

Nick sings Meredith's piece entitled "Brain Collector at Cornell"

Josh performs Scott's piece, "Biological Clock's Desperate Endeavor to Manifest Itself Externally." You can't tell from the picture, but Josh's repairman-costume includes a retro Seattle Seahawks cap which I thought was just perfect.

Meredith and Zane perform Josh's "Velleity"

Zane and Tim perform "Drill Bit Steve" in honor of its composer Matt Williams, who had to work during the concert. Tim's face is turning red as he screams through his clarinet for the big finish.
My piece, which luckily has no photographic evidence of ever being performed, is called "Theme and Variations on Something Shitty," and I think that really sums it up. Unfortunately I had to conduct it myself, which was my first and (fingers crossed) last conducting experience of my life. Regardless, everything went great, the crowd loved the whole night, and we should be getting a recording pretty soon. Now it looks as if we'll be doing this type of concert once a semester, so that basically tells you how everyone felt about it, including our professor Michael Schelle, who said in a post-concert email:

"GUYS - SCHNELL!!! BRAVISSIMO!!! MOLTO IMPRESSIVO!!

THE CREATIVITY OF IDEA AND MUSIC WAS / IS ASTOUNDING !!!

. . . YOU GUYS ARE CRAZY - IN THE BEST WAY ;) !!!

SERIOUSLY, TUTTI FANTASTICO !!! SCHNELL!!!"

Tuesday, February 5, 2008

A Time for Mourning

Yes, we lost the SuperBowl. No, we will never have another chance at 19-0. I'm sorry. It was an exciting game, but Bill Simmons expresses everything perfectly in his recent article on espn.com. We were the 2002 Rams, too good to be true, way too cocky, not enough fire and passion. I'm not gonna go on, I don't like talking about it, but I'm glad I'm not in Boston right now, and doubly glad I'm not in New York City right now. You know, Colorado had a parade for the Rockies after they got swept by us in the World Series, but of course we cancel our parade because our incredible football team got outplayed once this entire year. I think we should show a little more pride and thank our players for a memorable year.
Here are some pictures from last night:
My six-layer mexican dip was awesome, thanks for the recipe Ben.
Our TV was pretty small, and the reception was questionable, but at least you can tell that my dip was a hit.
Scott, born and raised in New York, was unsurprisingly ecstatic.
Ok, I can't let this go. They outplayed us, just like the Colts outplayed us last year. And for the sake of football as well as the city of Boston, I think in the long term it's good that we lost. First of all, it just shows how human the Patriots are. If we had won, and been called the greatest team ever, that's too easy. Everyone on the team could retire this offseason, and be totally satisfied. By losing, we solidified football's reputation as a great sport, one that cannot be completely mastered by anyone (although the '72 Dolphins may disagree, but who really cares what they think? Everyone hates them anyway; is that really what we want?). Secondly, I hate to say it, but we Bostononians were getting way too cocky, and I really disliked that. We were becoming obnoxious and arrogant, talking about how great our city is and how this year was just like 1986 when the Red Sox, Patriots, and Celtics all made it to their respective Championships. I think we need to experience more losses to truly appreciate the victories (the Bruins don't count), and I hope we don't turn into the Yankees of football by not accepting anything other than a World Championship. The Red Sox winning this past World Series was great, but nothing compares to the 2004 season, and I doubt anything ever will. I'm sorry for rambling, but I try to bottle all this frustration inside because I know we'll be great next year, and I know Brady will win another Super Bowl with the Patriots, but I can't stand the thought of another year of people complaining about this team. The Rams went 7-9 the season after we beat them in the Super Bowl, and I just hope that Tom Brady has the heart to come back next season and not let this loss plague the rest of his career.
One last thing regarding the cockiness: before the game, Patriots players invited Giants players to their celebratory afterparties. The Boston Globe and Herald had books on Amazon.com about our 19-0 season A WEEK BEFORE THE SUPERBOWL. If that's not a jinx I don't know what is. Lastly, the Giants beat the Cowboys, Packers, and us for the championship. That reminded me of our 2004 Patriots when we held the explosive Colts to 3 points one week, scored 41 on the 15-1 Steelers the next week, and then finished off the Eagles for the Super Bowl. The Giants beat all the best teams this postseason other than the Colts, and that is damn impressive. However, it's gonna kill me to hear all those New Yorkers gloating about this for the next year, but it will just make our next Super Bowl victory that much sweeter.