KPFA-FM Music Dept. ➔ A Concert by the S. F. Conservatory of New Music Ensemble (Dec. 5, 1969), 2 of 2
Analog Audio
Event Type
MusicOrigin
KPFAIdentifier
C.1969.12.05.BProgram Length
93 minPart
2 of 2Dates
1970-02-21 | broadcast| 1969-12-05 | created
Description
Charles Amirkhanian introduces a concert by the San Francisco Conservatory New Music Ensemble, originally recorded on December 5, 1969, at the DeYoung Museum in San Francisco. After an initial selection of 15th century Christmas carols the concert veers sharply towards the 20th century with a performance of Anton Webern’s brief, but wholly satisfying, “Three Small Pieces, Op. 11,” for piano and cello. This is followed by two distinctly avant-garde compositions, Christian Wolff’s “Electric Spring III,” scored for violin, horn, and electric guitar and bass, and Robert Moran’s suitably entitled, aleatoric work, “Elegant Journey with Stopping Points of Interest,” for two spatially placed instrumental ensembles. The second half of the concert begins with a further selection of Christmas carols, followed by the whimsical, yet rarely performed, “Poème Symphonique” by György Ligeti. This later work is scored for 100 metronomes, and the audience appears to be taken back by the considerable volume of the sound, and seems split as to whether the work is a joke or a serious exploration of rhythm. The concert than concludes with a version of Erik Satie’s puppet opera “Genevieve de Braban,” orchestrated by Ivan Tcherepnin & Howard Hersh.Genres
20th century classicalNew music
Musical Selections
Medieval Christmas Carols [from a 15th century collection edited by John Stevens in Musica Britannica] (9:42) -- Poème Symphonique, for 100 metronomes (1962) (12:55) / György Ligeti -- Genevieve de Brabant [libretto by J. P. Contamine de Latour] (1899-1900) (16:00) / Erik Satie [orch. by Ivan Tcherepnin & Howard Hersh]Performers
Sharon Hayes De Fremery, soprano (Medieval ; Genevieve)Diva Goodfriend-Koven, recorder (Medieval)
Matthew Owens, cello (Medieval ; Elegant)
San Francisco Conservatory New Music Ensemble (Poème ; Genevieve)
Joan Gallegos, conductor (Poème)
Paul Brian, tenor (Genevieve)
John Del Carlo, narrator, chorus (Genevieve)
Belinda Nissen, chorus (Genevieve)
Ruth Richard, chorus (Genevieve)
William Frazee, chorus (Genevieve)
Charles Kennedy, chorus (Genevieve)
Jordan Stenberg, chorus director (Genevieve)
Howard Hersh, conductor (Genevieve)
Subjects
15th century classical20th century classical
New music
Christmas music
Carols
Songs (High voice) with instrumental ensemble
Aleatory music
Metronome ensembles
Operas
Puppets
Related places
San Francisco (Calif.) (was recorded at)Berkeley (Calif.) (was broadcast at)
Related Entities
San Francisco Conservatory New Music EnsembleAmirkhanian, Charles
Ligeti, György, 1923-2006
Satie, Erik, 1866-1925
Contamine de Latour, J. P.
Tcherepnin, Ivan
Hersh, Howard
De Fremery, Sharon Hayes
Goodfriend-Koven, Diva
Owens, Matthew (Violoncellist)
Gallegos, Joan
Brian, Paul
Del Carlo, John
Nissen, Belinda
Richard, Ruth
Frazee, William
Stenberg, Jordan