"Across his diverse and successful career, Jacques Ibert kept his distance from the many "isms" of the twentieth century, insisting that "all systems are valid, provided one derives music from them." His Flute Concerto, written for Marcel Moyse and premiered in 1934, is one of the classics of its genre, and in it Ibert demonstrates that his idea of "music" is not as easily "derived" as he seems to suggest. The work is a masterful blend of the new and old, exploring the full range of flute technique without indulging in virtuosity for its own sake. Ibert also takes advantage of new compositional possibilities and his exquisite sense for orchestral color, but, again, without indulging in excess, exercising a typically French restraint within delicately balanced forms and textures. Throughout, Ibert creates a nuanced balance between orchestral and virtuosic brilliance." [Raymond Knapp/Santa Monica Symphony] Watch a performance of the final movement of Ibert's Flute Concerto (1934) performed by flutist Jiro Yoshioka . . . one of this week's FEATURED NEW MUSIC VIDEOS.

According to clarinetist/composer Kinan Azmeh, "The current unrest in the seat of the world’s oldest civilization inspired us to explore the most ancient epic we have in writing today. The Epic of Gilgamesh is a lush story, rich in meaning, in romance, and in humor. Visual artist Kevork Mourad and I have chosen to explore this epic through the art forms of music and painting, using them in tandem as vehicles for story telling. With original composition on the clarinet, (with the use of Max/Msp software as a compositional extension,) inspiring and working off the visual artist’s projected illustration, the world’s oldest known epic will be brought to life in the present: through new musical forms and means, and through a new form of visual art exploring the permanence of lines on paper in the impermanence of projection". Watch an excerpt from The Gilgamesh Project (2006) . . . the second one of this week's FEATURED NEW MUSIC VIDEOS.

This week the music of Marilyn Shrude, William Albright and Burton Beerman is presented in our FEATURED RECORDING Shadows and Dawning (Albany Records 526). Fanfare Magazine writes, "The disc turns out to be a quite a winner ... with the Beerman work followed by two saxophone pieces by Marilyn Shrude. Her Shadows and Dawning (1982) for saxophone and piano is a one-movement chamber poem depicting the gradual transformation of nature's darkness into light - nighttime to dawning. Moods of mystery and modernistic performance techniques are used: multiphonics, timbral trills, and the like. Eventually the piano begins passagework reminiscent of shimmering - the first traces of light are apparent; the saxophone trills excitedly and the picture is complete". Read more about this disc and hear excerpts from it . . . it's this week's FEATURED RECORDING.

Maurice Ravel saw his Piano Concerto in G (1931) as being in the spirit of Mozart and Saint-Saëns, light and brilliant, in contrast to those heavier classical concerti which he felt were written "against" rather than "for" the piano. Ravel wrote, "The music of a concerto, in my opinion, should be light and bright and does not seek depth or dramatic effects". Watch a beautiful performance of the first movement of Ravel's Piano Concerto in G performed by pianist Martha Argerich . . . this week's FROM THE PYTHEAS ARCHIVES.

Explore, Listen and Enjoy!
Vinny Fuerst
Pytheas Center for Contemporary Music