Concert review: Bowdoin’s festival showcases modern works from around the world

Songs from Copland Household performs at the Bowdoin Intercontinental New music Pageant on Sunday in Studzinski Recital Corridor on the Brunswick university campus. Picture by Niles Singer

Festivals inside of festivals have the Bowdoin Faculty campus humming again.

The Bowdoin Global Songs Festival has prolonged included the Gamper Pageant of Contemporary Songs for people with a style for listening to some of the best composed songs developed in the latest moments. For this specific year of returning to in-human being concert events, the Bowdoin/Gamper individuals secured a visit from New music from Copland Household, the resident ensemble at Aaron Copland’s National Landmark home in New York.

The casually dressed team, which champions “established and growing creators of all backgrounds and identities,” presented a form of mini pageant of its own titled “Crossings” on Sunday afternoon. The system involved numerous pieces encompassing a abundant wide range of seems and types.

Pianist Michael Boriskin, who launched the 6 pieces in the system, referred to the topic of a journey that united the software. It proved a fulfilling expedition with Boriskin, Isabel Lepanto Gleicher (flute), Derek Bermel (clarinet), Siwoo Kim (violin) and Alexis Pia Gerlach (cello) exhibiting technically high-quality taking part in put together with a spirit of venturing into significantly less-traveled sonic realms.

“Petroushskates” by Joan Tower (b. 1938), as the title may indicate, playfully mashed up the rhythmic travel of a vintage do the job by Igor Stravinsky with Tower’s stated appreciate of figure skating. Ebullient, pushed and a minimal slippery, the new music swirled though keeping to the edges of its inspiration in the expressiveness of early modern day music. The hanging mix of flute with clarinet was significantly bracing.

A composition by Annika Socolofsky (b. 1990), “to sing of sins,” extra the recorded vocals of Irish folk singer Iarla Ó Leonáird intoning a mournful Celtic poem. With Kim sitting down out, the remaining onstage quartet embellished a somber, tolling piano portion with just enough coloration. The cello and clarinet offered specially emotive peaks.

“Crossings,” by Pierre Jalbert (b. 1967), who was in attendance, is based mostly on a French-Canadian folks track and seeks to suggest a migratory passage. A single may think of Stravinsky once again at times throughout the far more assertive sections. But the loveliness of its inspiration was most plainly expressed by a repeated elegiac line from the violin.

Touring on, the 2nd aspect of the system started with “Thulathi,” a perform by Saad Haddad (b. 1992) that explored the composer’s desire in combining Middle Eastern and Western musical traditions. The piano/violin/cello trio for this piece dampened and bent notes in a piece that challenged the ears on its seemingly non-linear travels within the moment.

“Fractured Drinking water,” by Shawn Okpebholo (b. 1981), put together jazzy flights by flute/piano/cello with included percussion as just about every participant employed a small plastic tub of drinking water with objects therein to make numerous forms of aquatic sounds. The combine of organic and natural with man-produced, which includes a bit of buzzing, emphasised that it should really not be these types of a long journey back (or ahead) to reclaim our essential means.

The live performance finished on a spirited be aware with “Tango Trio” by Miguel del Águila (b. 1957). As Boriskin pointed out, the title tells it all. A trio of piano, violin and cello leaned hard into the passion linked with South American tango new music. The threesome developed a mounting depth toward a crescendo that appeared to leave most listeners in a very good spot after an enriching musical journey.

Steve Feeney is a freelance writer who life in Portland.

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