spring music trac schedule

Find us on the HIGH 5 REVIEW!

2010-09-16T10:01:00.001-07:00

heyo,

Quick update on this blog.... and where to go in the future for updates.....

As of today, this blog will remain here to redirect people and as an archive, but we won't be updating it anymore. We are happy to announce the building of our new online arts-paper --- The High 5 Review (www.high5review.org). There will be a TRaC section in the newspaper that will pick up where this blog left off. Expect weekly posts about TRaC ongoings, TRaC reviews, event announcements, and much much more!

Events like first friday Pizza and a Movie Nights will continue to be announced on Facebook (become a fan of High 5 here) and the High 5 Review. Both will have updates for free tickets to shows, news about special TRaC events, and random posts about random arts opportunities for teens.

And if you're not on High 5's e-mail newsletter, you're missing out on new shows, reviews and event announcements every week! Sign up here to get the inside beat on all things art in the city: www.high5tix.org/mailinglist

We'll see you out there at the shows!
(and on the High 5 Review)

Apply for spring Music TRaC

2010-02-16T15:04:00.000-08:00

Applications for spring Music TRaC are now available for eligible high school students at www.high5tix.org/TRaC.

Come together with people from different backgrounds and schools who want to explore the arts and sharpen their critical eye. Imagine yourself and these 12 peers attending world-class performances, meeting professional artists and critics, and breaking it down in weekly two-hour workshops. All while improving your writing!

What else will you do in Music TRaC?

Attend at least 5 shows and performances
Experience the NYC arts world with behind-the-scenes access
Learn from high-profile professional artists and critics
Expand your critical writing and dialogue skills
Publish reviews read by thousands
Meet like-minded peers from all over NY and NJ
Master New York City’s public transportation system
Discover more about yourself!

ArtsConnection/High 5 partners with Carnegie Hall to bring you to see world-class musians from around the city. The Music TRaC schedule is as follows* (subject to change):

TRaC Kickoff Party, 4:30 - 6:15, March 16

8 Classes on Thursdays @ 520 Eighth Ave, 3rd Floor, 4:30 - 6:30

March 18, March 25, (off March 31 for Winter Break)
April 8, April 15, April 22 (off April 28 for Spring Break)
May 6, May 13, May 20
+ the 5 or 6 performances TBD

The TRaC Finale, 2:00 - 4:00, May 22

Download a TRaC flier and application today at www.high5tix.org/TRaC. Or attend our Open House on February 25th to get more information. Applications are accepted on a first come, first served basis. (Yes, all former TRaC participants may take another TRaC class. Yes, you must resubmit an application).

Applications are due on March 4th.

DJ Spooky: Terra Nova: Sinfonia Antarctica

2009-12-02T12:36:00.000-08:00

Our final show of the semester is this Saturday at the Brooklyn Academy of Music's Gilman Auditorium.

The show begins at 7:30 pm but we have been given access to a pre-concert talk at 5 pm.

There is a video about the performance here: http://www.bam.org/view.aspx?pid=1273

From the BAM website:

Hip-hop savant cum shrewd cultural critic, the tireless DJ Spooky That Subliminal Kid/Paul D. Miller has always kept one ear to deftly-crafted sound and the other to social concerns. In Terra Nova: Sinfonia Antarctica, he heeds the call of a rapidly changing continent by letting it finally speak for itself.

Based around DJ Spooky's sound recordings in the Antarctic that explore the acoustic qualities of ice, Terra Nova allows us to encounter the climate crisis with unprecedented intimacy, giving voice to the groaning landscape as it undergoes irrevocable change. Members of the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE) perform live with DJ Spooky's hip-hop and sample-infused soundscape to create a riveting electronic symphony as live video projections reconstruct Antarctica—the real and the imagined—in this acoustic portrait of our embattled Earth.

Performed by DJ Spooky and the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE)

Visual design by A.J. Weissbard
Images research and video editing by V-Factory and Jim Findlay
Commissioned by - BAM / 2009 Next Wave Festival, Change Performing Arts, Melbourne International Arts Festival, Hopkins Center / Dartmouth College, UCSB Arts & Lectures, Spoleto 51 / Festival dei 2 Mondi

To get to BAM, please consult the map below

Rakim @ BB King's

2009-11-16T14:07:00.000-08:00

5th show is Thursday, 11/19, following the workshop.....

RAKIM featuring special guest Rhymefest.
@ B.B. King Blues Club & Grill
237 West 42nd Street between 7th and 8th Ave. map.
8:45pm - 10:45pm

Listen: http://www.myspace.com/rakim

from the B.B. King press materials.....
Universally referenced as one of the Masters of the Microphone and an influence and inspiration to his peers and followers alike, Rakim first exploded onto the scene with the release of iconic Eric B. is President in 1986 with long time collaborator Eric B. The single marked a turning point in the Rap world – raising the bar for future emcees and revolutionizing the way rhymes are delivered. Rakim’s intricately, intellectual lyrics draw their force from his worldly experience, inner faith and progressive contemplation, fueled by a deep understanding of not just Hip-Hop, but also the Jazz and R&B influences that have surrounded his family since his youth. Rakim’s recordings – including the all-time classics, Paid In Full, Follow the Leader and The 18th Letter - have sold in the multi-millions worldwide. Billboard, Rolling Stone, MTV and a host of others consistently refer to Paid in Full as “the greatest Hip-Hop album of all time” – a claim often repeated in audience polls. The Seventh Seal marks the first album under his own imprint, Ra Records, allowing a true freedom in creative control unparalleled since his monumental first recordings.

His first full album of new material in almost a decade, The Seventh Seal is Rakim’s contemporary observation of the Hip-Hop culture he helped define. While staying loyal to his New York roots, the artist has created a body of work that encompasses the very best of regional, underground and mainstream styles reformed and delivered through his intricate lyricism and the seemingly effortless flow for which he is revered. The first single, “Holy Are You” (produced by long-time Rakim collaborator Nick Wiz for Preserve the Art) embodies the overall concept of the album, communicating Rakim’s worldview and spirituality through artistic interpretation of scriptures and revelations about the coming of the Apocalypse and each persons role in the world around them. Additional releases prior to the albums early Fall drop range from seething character studies of life in modern times and personal stories of self-awareness to feel good anthems celebrating music and Hip-Hop in all of its forms.

The artist states, “The Seventh Seal is my own revelation. . . my way of taking the best of what Hip-Hop has to offer, what we as a culture and a community have to offer, putting my stamp on it and leading us forward while constantly respecting what we’ve already accomplished. When you’ve been blessed with a career like mine, you develop a deep relationship with the music and that love is recognized by the true heads that share it with you. Holy Are You is for those core brothers and sisters. . . the first building block – the lyrical and spiritual piece – of an album that’s my monument to Hip-Hop past, present and future. You’ll see us keep building as we break through each Seal. . .showing the best of what I can do in many forms, bringing the energy and having fun, but first I’m laying that foundation and give my longtime fans the conscious fire they expect.”

The New York Philharmonic

2009-11-08T12:47:00.000-08:00

Thomas Hampson & Mozart's Prague Symphony
@ Avery Fischer Hall in Lincoln Center
November 10, 2008

Neeme Järvi - conductor
Thomas Hampson - Baritone
Hillevi Martinpelto - Soprano

the program follows with notes...........

LUDWIG van BEETHOVEN (1770 - 1827)
Overture to Die Geschöpfe des Prometheus (The Creatures of Prometheus), Op. 43
Beethoven endured an unsteady relationship with the stage. His career was littered with fervent expressions of desire and even a few fragmentary attempts to compose an opera worthy of his genius, but in the end he managed to complete only one full-fledged opera. As if to underscore his unease with the genre, Beethoven actually “completed” the work twice (under the title Leonore) before it reached the final state in which it is usually performed today (under the title Fidelio).

But there was more to the stage than opera, and in other theatrical realms Beethoven scored better success. He wrote incidental music — ranging from a single number to complete multi-movement collections — for a half-dozen stage plays: Egmont, Coriolan, König Stephan, Die Ruinen von Athen (and its adaptation as Die Weihe des Hauses), Tarpeja, and Leonore Prohaska. In addition, he composed music for two ballets: the Ritterballet (WoO 1) in 1790–91 for a production in his hometown of Bonn, and Die Geschöpfe des Prometheus (The Creatures of Prometheus, Op. 43) a decade later, in 1800–01, for a production in Vienna.

WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART (1756-1791)
Symphony No. 38, K. 504, Prague (1786)
While Mozart’s star seemed to be setting in Vienna in 1786, it was rising in Prague. He had become the lion of the Bohemian capital when his opera The Marriage of Figaro was premiered there in the winter of that year. Its popularity in Prague was legendary. The people went wild for it, and its tunes were on the lips of the public. Mozart happily wrote in a letter from Prague: “…here they talk about nothing but ‘Figaro.’ Nothing is played, sung, or whistled but ‘Figaro.’ No opera is drawing like ‘Figaro.’ Nothing, nothing but ‘Figaro.’” The composer, his wife Constanze, a servant, and his dog (yes, Mozart had a dog) traveled to Prague where he was scheduled to conduct. They were treated like royalty, by royalty, as the palace guests of Mozart’s patron, Count Franz von Thun. At the first of two performances led by Mozart, on January 19, 1787 he premiered the present symphony—a work he had brought from Vienna, and which would from then on be known by the nickname “Prague.” Lacking a minuet, the “Prague” symphony has only three movements, and the feeling throughout this impressive work is one of dramatic tension and forward momentum. In terms of structure it is unusual, because it begins with a slow introduction—a practice reminiscent of many Haydn symphonies. The ensuing Allegro is a sophisticated piece of contrapuntal writing (so intricate, in fact, that Mozart worked out its complexities in preliminary sketches—something he rarely had to do) Standing at the midpoint of the work is the profound and lyrical Andante, in which Mozart keeps trumpets and drums silent. The sparkling Presto finale was and is a delight to hear: by quoting a theme from the opera Mozart was tipping his hat to his fanatical Figaro-crazed audiences in Prague.

ALEXANDER VON ZEMLINSKY (1871-1942)
A Lyric Symphony (1922)
The form of Alexander von Zemlinsky’s best-known and most often performed work, A Lyric Symphony, owes a debt to Mahler. In 1922 he wrote to a friend, “This summer I’ve written something along the lines of Das Lied von der Erde.” Like that work, the present work is part symphony, part orchestral song cycle, and its sumptuous orchestrations fall between the late-Romantic tradition of Mahler and the modernism of the Second Viennese School of Arnold Schoenberg, et. al. And, like Das Lied… the texts are drawn from an Eastern source, the Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941). In seven remarkable, impassioned poems, soprano and baritone soloists speak of love, from longing to passion fulfilled to farewell and release. Zemlinsky’s music captures Tagore’s opulent language, heavy with symbolism and breathtaking beauty. The structure of the symphony falls roughly into three parts: the first two songs deal with yearning and desire “Ich bin friedlos, ich bin durstig nach fernen Dingen” (“I am restless, I thirst for distant things”) and “O Mutter, der junge Prinz” (“Oh mother, the young prince”). The middle portion of the A Lyric Symphony sings of love fulfilled: “Du bist die Abendwolke” (“You are the evening cloud”) and “Sprich zu mir, Geliebter” (“Speak to me, Beloved”); and the final section is about separation and leave-taking: “Befrei mich von den Banden deiner Süße, Lieb“ (“Set me free from the bonds of your sweetness, Love”), the heart-breaking “Vollende denn das letzte Lied” (“Finish, then, the last song”); and the finale “Friede, mein Herz“ (“Be at peace, my heart”).

A CHINESE HOME

2009-11-01T13:12:00.000-08:00

The third Music TRaC performance will feature Wu Man, our host from the Ba Da Chui performance....

You're in for a treat because Carnegie Hall's Zankel Theater is one of the most beautiful spaces to see a show. Here's the link to the show description on Carnegie Hall's website.

The Kronos Quartet & Wu Man

Perform the world premiere of:

A Chinese Home, a staged work with video for string quartet and pipa, takes its inspiration from Yin Yu Tang, a large home from a southeastern Chinese village that was meticulously dismantled, transported to Massachusetts, and reconstructed in the Peabody Essex Museum. The work explores shifts in Chinese cultural identity, and the modernization of rural life through music and sonic environments.

The first work on the program will be Tan Dun's epic Ghost Opera (1994, listen here), which was composes for Wu Man and the Kronos Quartet, drawing from shamanistic peasant traditions dating back more than four millennia. It also delves into China’s expansive cultural timeline, in a staging with water, metal, stone, and paper.

Here's is a video of some of Wu Man's pipa work:

Program Details
Pre-concert talk starts at 6:30 PM in Zankel Hall: David Harrington and Wu Man in conversation with Jeremy Geffen, Director of Artistic Planning, Carnegie Hall.

Kronos Quartet
·· David Harrington, Violin
·· John Sherba, Violin
·· Hank Dutt, Viola
·· Jeffrey Zeigler, Cello

Wu Man, Pipa

Chen Shi-Zheng, Director and Visual Designer

Learn more about Wu Man and Kronos on their websites.

Ba Da Chui, Percussion Quartet (hosted by Wu Man)

2009-10-21T20:32:00.001-07:00

The second show is this Saturday, starting at 3pm.
Make sure you're there by 2:40!

Ba Da Chui
Ba Da Chui means "eight great hammers," and this percussion quartet straight from China promises a feast of exuberant sound. Inspired by the Beijing opera tradition, this foursome will wield drums, cymbals, gongs and woodblocks to weave complex patterns into compelling music.

This show is part of Ancient Paths, Modern Voices: A City-Wide Festival Celebrating Chinese Culture.

Acclaimed pipa virtuoso Wu Man will introduce the group.

WHERE/WHEN
We'll be meeting at the University Settlement Society of New York, 184 Eldridge Street (at Rivington Street) at 2:40pm. map.

Subway options
F, V to 2nd Avenue B, D to Grand Street
N, R, W to Prince Street
6 to Spring Street

BusM15 to Delancey Street

Enescu Reimagined

2009-10-18T20:34:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, October 20th, starting at 8pm.
Make sure to be there by 7:35 sharp!

Enescu Reimagined
Merkin Concert Hall 129 W. 67th Street (between Broadway and Amsterdam)
Subway: 1 to 66th Street-Lincoln Center
kaufman-center.org

More than a century after Romanian composer George Enescu was first introduced to American audiences, Romanian New York-based pianist Lucian Ban, together with renowned jazz bassist John Hebert, takes on Enescu’s music legacy in this daring contemporary jazz re-imagination of some of his unique works for a stunning group of New York jazz iconoclasts, featuring: Mat Maneri, viola; Joyce Hammann, violin; Tony Malaby, tenor sax; Taylor Ho Bynum, trumpet, Lucian Ban, piano, orchestrations; Badal Roy, tablas; John Hebert, double bass, orchestrations; Gerald Cleaver, drums.
Working at the edge of classical, jazz, downtown improv and contemporary music, the ensemble re-orchestrates and re-interprets scores from George Enescu’s impressive body of work – from the famous “3rd Sonata for Violin & Piano in Romanian Folk Character” to the unfinished “4th Symphony” to the various chamber pieces and the larger orchestral works of this amazing 20th century Romanian composer.

For further information on this event and the featured musicians, please visit www.icrny.org.

Music TRaC begins!

2009-10-13T14:45:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Music TRaC. Get ready for the unique instructional talents of Andrey Henkin, your instructor. Andrey is the editor of All About Jazz New York. On his web bio at AAJ, he lists the songs he'd take to a desert island. Check them out HERE. Of course he chose a Slayer jam. That's the kind of taste you can look forward to debating. (That's him up there on the right back in 2001.)

We've programed an eclectic group of shows for you for this eight weeks, from old skool rapper Rakim to the Kronos Quartet, a venues from Carnegie Hall to BB King's Blues Club. It's gonna be a trip. The schedule is over in the rightside column, with links, if you're ever unsure of what's going on.

Your workshops are on Thursdays, from 4:30-6:30, starting October 15th. You'll be meeting at the brand new High 5 space (in the offices of ArtsConnection) on 8th Ave. In Studio A on the 3rd Floor.

DIRECTIONS to High 5 HQ:

The easiest way is to take the A, C, or E train to 34th Street, then walk up 8th Ave to building #520. We're inbetween 36th and 37th Street. Look for the revolving door.

520 Eighth Avenue
New York, NY 10018
map it here.

The building looks like this:

...but that's kind of what all old New York buildings look like, so just look for the number and the revolving door.

Let's get started!

BLUE MAN GROUP

2009-05-12T13:43:00.000-07:00

Music TRaC,

For your final outing, immediately following your final class on Thursday, Andrey and I are hooking you all up with BLUE MAN GROUP tickets. Unfortunately, Andrey will not be able to join you for the show, so I need to confirm you will be there and get your names on the list so you can pick up your ticket. (After class you will travel as a group down on the 6 Train to see the show.....starts at 8pm.)

Email me with your full-name to confirm you will be in class, and reserve your Blue Man Ticket! **If you do not write me back, I will not be able to reserve a ticket for you.**

Enjoy the show!
~eric

The Blue Man Group is best known for its award-winning theatrical productions which critics have described as "ground-breaking," "hilarious," "visually stunning" and "musically powerful." These performances feature three enigmatic bald and blue characters who take the audience through a multi-sensory experience that combines theatre, percussive music, art, science and vaudeville into a form of entertainment that is like nothing else. People from all over the world, from all walks of life and from all age groups have become fans.

VENUE:
Astor Place Theater
424 Lafayette St., Manhattan
6 TRAIN to Astor Place (walk one block south on Lafayette)

SHOW #3 - Klezmer All-Star Bash @ Carnegie Hall

2009-03-31T15:33:00.000-07:00

immediately after class.....

Klezmer All-Star Bash
Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage
Thursday, April 2, 2009 at 8 PM

David Krakauer, Artistic Director
David Krakauer's Klezmer Madness!
The Klezmatics
Brave Old World
Mikveh
Frank London & Lorin Sklamberg Nigunim Trio with Rob Schwimmer
Socalled, Sampler, Piano and Vocals with Katie Moore, Vocals
Michael Wex, Emcee

Stern Auditorium
881 Seventh Avenue
(entrance on 57th Street)
New York, NY 10019
Tel: (212) 247-7800
Visit Web Site
Map

World renowned clarinetist David Krakauer has put together an evening of some of the most important and influential talents of the klezmer world today. Together they will present a retrospective of the creativity and artistry in klezmer music over the last twenty years.

“ soulfulness and electrifying showiness”—New York Times

Show #2 - Masha's shots

2009-03-24T14:59:00.000-07:00

Andrey speaks.

Darby listens.

Andrey preaches.

Wolfe knows.

review of Saturday's show

2009-03-24T14:10:00.000-07:00

Dance Review | Jeremy Nelson and Luis Lara Malvacías
Examining Connections That Eclipse the Merely Physical

By CLAUDIA LA ROCCO

Published: March 19, 2009

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/20/arts/dance/20nels.html

Show #2 SOONER THAN YOU THINK

2009-03-21T15:04:00.000-07:00

Jeremy Nelson & Luis Lara Malvacías: Sooner Than You Think

Date & Time: Sun, Mar 22, 2009, 2:00pm
Venue: Ailey® Citigroup Theater at the Joan Weill Center for Dance
405 West 55th Street
Subway: A, C, E, 1, 2, 9 to 59th Street/Columbus Circle
alvinailey.org

Jeremy Nelson & Luis Lara Malvacías: Sooner Than You Think
Surrounded by the intriguing installation environment of Luis Lara Malvacías, Sooner Than You Think features solos by Jeremy Nelson and Malvacías. Sometimes occurring separately and sometimes overlapping, Nelson and Malvacías move in and out of lighting and video designs of collaborator David Tirosh, taking their audience through two distinct journeys inspired by images and ideas exchanged over the course of a year’s traveling.

Here is a recent rehearsal video for the show we will see:

Show #1 HANS TAMMEN's THIRD EYE ORCHESTRA

2009-03-19T13:40:00.000-07:00

Saturday, March 14
9:00 pm - 11:00 pm

NEUES KABARETT

Hans Tammen's Third Eye Orchestra

Premiere of Tammen's new, open-form composition for the Third Eye Orchestra and live electronics fusing contemporary classical elements with minimal music.

featuring

Jason Hwang, David Soldier - violins
Stephanie Griffin - viola
Ha Yang Kim - cello
Dafna Naptali - voice, live sound processing
Robert Dick - flutes
Briggan Krauss - altosax, baritonesax
Ned Rothenberg - bassclarinet, altosax, flutes
Detlef Landeck - trombone
Denman Maroney, Ursel Schlicht - piano, keyboards
Jonas Tauber - bass
Satoshi Takeishi - percussion

Made possible with public funds provided by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. Tammen's new piece commissioned by the American Composers Forum/Jerome Foundation.

Hans Tammen is a composer/guitarist whose music has been described as an alien world of bizarre textures and a journey through the land of unending sonic operations. He discovers hidden sound properties through means of his modified endangered guitar, interactive software programming, stereo and multichannel sound systems, and by working with the room itself. Signal To Noise called his works "...a killer tour de force of post-everything guitar damage," and All Music Guide called him "... one of the best experimental guitarists to come forward during the 1990s." His projects include site-specific performances and collaborative efforts with dance, light, video and theatre, utilizing technology from planetarium projectors to guitar robots and disklavier pianos.

Listen to his work here:

important TRaC announcement

2009-03-18T09:38:00.001-07:00

Important safety video up on the Main TRaC Blog! Make sure to check it out....

www.High5TRaC.blogspot.com

Have a safe day.

~eric

Music TRaC 2009 has begun!

2009-03-10T17:03:00.001-07:00

Music TRaC class begins Thursday, March 12, at the Jacob Blaustein Building in midtown Manhattan.

The Jacob Blaustein Bulding is located at 165 East 56th Street between 3rd Ave and Lexington Ave. (It's close to the corner of 3rd Ave.) You can take the 4,5,6 or E,V trains to get there. If you take the 4, 5, or 6 train, get off at the 59th street stop and walk south to 56th and make a left. If you take the 6, E, or V train, get off at the 51st Street Station and walk north to 56th and make a right. You will need a photo ID of some kind to get into the building.

It is imperative that you get to class by 4:30. Andrey Henkin, your instructor, will meet you in the lobby, then you will go up to the conference room you’ll be meeting in. If you are late, tell the security guards who you are and they will call Andrey to come down and escort you up.

Any problems you can contact your instructor Andrey Henkin at vitaltransformation@earthlink.net.

NOTE: Your first show will be this Saturday, March 14th at the Brecht Forum in Manhattan. Andrey will send you more directions this week. SAVE THAT DATE!

An Afro Latin Halloween

2008-10-28T13:56:00.001-07:00

We'll see you on Saturday, November 1st for Arturo O'Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra's Dia de los Muertos!

On Saturday, Nov. 1st, the whole Teen Reviewers and Critics program will come together along with over 100 other High 5ers to celebrate la Dia de los Muertos with Arturo O’Farrill's Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra, a Grammy-nominated ensemble, melding rhythms from African and Latin American countries with jazz harmonies from the United States. The concert features the world premiere of the Day of the Dead Suite, the extraordinary Aztec Suite and special guest performers including Folkloric Dancers.

Before the concert, Arturo O'Farrell is holding a High 5 exclusive workshop on Afro-Latin Jazz, so we'll be heading over to the show by 6:30 p.m. Come prepared to jump on stage and learn first-hand what it takes to be a Afro-Latin Jazz All-Star....

WHEN: Saturday, November 1st. 6:30 - 10:15 p.m. (with two intermissions)

WHERE: SYMPHONY SPACE at 2537 Broadway and 95th Street in Manhattan

DIRECTIONS: Take the 1, 2 or 3 subway to the 96th Street stop. Exit train and walk south on Broadway. Symphony Space will be on your right-hand side. OR Take the B or C subway to the 96th Street stop and walk west until you hit Broadway.

Costumes
are
optional.....

:)

see ya'll on Saturday, muertos!

~eric

Fall 2008 Music TRaC begins!

2008-10-10T11:09:00.001-07:00

Make sure to think outside the box....and the notes.... and rules.... and pre-conceptions.
Open your mind!

and enjoy.

~eric

(for more BANSKY - the graffiti artist who painted the above - click here.)

New Video Review!

2008-06-03T10:20:00.000-07:00

Ivana

on Brötzmann/Bennink/Evans @ Clemente Soto Velez

More on Frederic Rzewskis

2008-05-14T19:35:00.000-07:00

Hey guys,
I didn't go to Rzewski's show at Carnegie Hall, but I heard it was GREAT (if it's anything like how Wolf described it, that is!).

"Frederic Rzewski’s show at Carnegie Hall, entitled Making Music, utilized a form of structured chaos that was very goofy sounding but also very pleasing. At times, Rzewski’s unique instrumentation made his compositions constantly stimulating and often humorous, most notably, his use of a basketball to provide booming sporadic percussion. Nonetheless, at other points in the show, the instrumentation stunted his compositions and made them sound very dated, specifically the vibraphone part in the song Attica and the use of people who were “news casting” over the music. At these points, the songs began to a 1980’s science fiction movie or the introduction to a corny 1990’s television show. The combination of the minimal, avant-garde classical aspects of his sound and the campy, dated, science fiction a cappella aspects made it often sound like a collaboration between John Cage and William Shatner..." -excerpt from Wolf's review.

If you guys want to find out more about Rzewkis's work, CLICK HERE.

-Nino

Han Bennink review published!

2008-05-05T15:40:00.000-07:00

Hey Music TRaC

Check out Ivana's review of on the Reviews page of the High 5 website.
If your review of the show is done send it to Eric. Ivana, if you'd like to edit anything or submit a revision, feel free!

Ivana's review

Frederic Rzewski at Zankel Hall

2008-04-29T05:08:00.000-07:00

On Thursday, May 1 (the same day as class), we are seeing a program at Zankel Hall entitled: Making Music: Frederic Rzewski.

The concert begins at 7:30 pm. Zankel Hall is located at 881 Seventh Avenue at 57th Street. Hopefully you will have enough time to walk across town and get something to eat before the show.

In anticipation, please read the program here.

Candide at City Opera

2008-04-12T04:59:00.001-07:00

On Saturday, April 12th, we are seeing the modern opera Candide at City Opera at 8 pm.

Candide was written by Leonard Bernstein.

City Opera is between 62nd and 65th Streets and Amsterdam and Columbus Avenues.
Subway: 1 to 66th Street
nycopera.com

HARDCORE

2008-04-02T16:05:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday, April Fools Day, 2008, Music TRaC had "VIP" access into The Knitting Factory; we skipped the 20/30 person line and walked down into the Tap Bar.

Without adding too much of my opinion, I can fairly say that show was an utter failure--very few of us enjoyed being nearly punched and kicked in the face by drunk, fresh 21 year olds. Like the majority of the studded-belt-clad audience, we retreated to the back of the floor every time these wackos decided to "dance." Indeed, some may argue that this moshing is a primitive activity which can only unravel chaos and nosebleeds, but there are others who believe it is a form of total self-expression and freedom.

Anyways, Andrey, our Music TRaC director, asked us to refrain from getting anywhere near the "tornado of bodies" (google.com). Maybe a waiver would have been necessary? Just kidding.

The music, more importantly, was incomprehensible, unmelodious, and lacked overall taste.

But! This was a great experience for some of us who have never been to a hardcore show. We've now witnessed the new concert norm of this generation of rockers.

Before & After:

2008-03-29T08:25:00.000-07:00

Our second concert of the semester is this Tuesday, April 1st. Here is the information:

Knitting Factory Tap Bar at 6:30 pm (74 Leonard Street between Broadway and Church Street (212-219-3055) Subway: 1,2 to Franklin Street knittingfactory.com)

An Evening of Hardcore
Blacklisted
Verse
The Carrier
Reclaim The Crown
Probable Cause

Welcome to Music TRaC

2007-10-15T14:43:00.000-07:00

Hello Music TRaC!

I am greatly looking forward to our first day of Music TRaC this Thursday, March 20th. We'll meet every week from 4:30 to 6:30 (don't be late!) at the Jacob Blaustein Building at 165 East 56th Street on the corner of 3rd Avenue. **You are required to bring Photo ID.** (Please note: we are not always in the same room. Ask the guard behind the glass what room to be sure.) Take the 4, 5 or 6 train to 59th street and walk south down to 56th on Lexington and make a left. OR take the E, V, or 6 train to 51st street and walk north.

If you get lost, contact Eric at High 5: 212-750-0555 ext.208 or ext. 200 (if there's no answer at 208) Print out this post or write this down!

Also important:

Our first concert of the semester is this Friday, March 21st. Here is the information (we will discuss meeting parameters during the first class):

Brecht Forum at 9 pm (451 West Street (between Bank & Bethune) Subway: A, C, E, L, 1, 2, 3, 9 to 14th Street brechtforum.org)

Joëlle Léandre

World Premiere / Brecht Forum Commission
Joëlle Léandre with Mat Maneri (viola) & J.D. Parran (woodwinds)
Opening Set with Poet Steve Dalachinsky
French double bass player, improviser and composer Joëlle Léandre is one of the dominant figures of the new European music. Trained in orchestral as well as contemporary music, she has played with Itinéraire, 2e2m and Pierre Boulez’s Ensemble intercontemporain. Léandre has also worked with Merce Cunningham and with John Cage, who has composed especially for her — as have Scelsi, Fénelon, Jolas and Clémenti. As well as working in contemporary music, Léandre has played with some of the great names in jazz and improvisation, such as Derek Beley, Anthony Braxton, Georges Lewis, Evan Parker, Irène Schweizer, Steve Lacy, Fred Frith and John Zorn. She has written extensively for dance and theatre, and has staged a number of multidisciplinary performances. Her reputation is international, and her work as a composer and a performer, both in solo recitals and as part of ensembles, has put her under the lights of the most prestigious stages of Europe, the Americas and Asia. Joëlle Léandre also has more than a hundred recordings to her credit. She was Visiting Professor at Mills College in 2002/2004 and 2006 (Darius Milhaud Chair for composition and improvisation).

See you Thursday!

your intrepid instructor,
Andrey