INMC Newsletter, Spring-Summer, 2001
<BR><BR>
Wednesday, February 28th, 2001, at 8:00 PM<BR>
The Black Box Theater (Pless Hall)<BR>
82 Washington Square East<BR>
New York<BR><BR>

Strange Matters<BR>
(Music for cello and accordion)<BR><BR>


- Madeleine Shapiro, cello <BR>

- Mikko Luoma, accordion <BR><BR>


           Pure art, like pure science, is at its core a quest for the 
new. 
The historical expansion of aesthetic sensibility is inextricably tied 
to the 
notion of discovery. It follows then, that musical performance should 
be more 
than just a mere recitation of what is tried and true. Rather, it 
should 
ideally be an experience in which the listener is introduced to 
exciting 
tonal possibilities hitherto unrealized. On February 28th, 2001, 
audiences at 
New York University's Black Box Theater were privy to just such an 
experience 
during a performance by ModernWorks.
           ModernWorks was created in 1997 by cellist and concert 
producer 
Madeleine Shapiro. Ms. Shapiro was the founder, and co-director of The 
New 
Music Consort for 21 years, and ModernWorks! is a continuation and 
expansion 
of her work in the field of contemporary music. The group reflects her 
interest in performing and programming an eclectic range of new works 
by both 
established and emerging composers.<BR><BR>
           This evening's concert began with Attempted Approach 
(1990) by the 
German composer, George Katzer. Throughout this piece, the cello 
(played by 
Ms. Shapiro) and the accordion (played by Mikko Louma) merged 
repeatedly into 
a unified sound. The resulting tonal combinations seemed to suggest the 
presence of a much larger ensemble. Attempted Approach (1990) was 
followed by 
an accordion solo composed byJukka Tiensuu entitled, Aufschwung (1975). 
Performed by Mr. Louma, this piece was built around tonal clusters and 
varied rhythmic effects, and highlighted the extremes of the 
accordion's 
tonal and dynamic range. <BR><BR>
           The first half of the evening concluded with a composition 
entitled, In die Tiefe der Zeit by Japanese composer, Toshio Hosokawa. 
Here, 
the upper register of the accordion consistently doubled the harmonics 
of the 
cello. The piece seemed to be composed around chordal entities in a 
manner 
that suggested the work of Gyorgy Lygeti. The influence of Messiaen was 
also 
noted (Quartet for the End of Time).<BR><BR>
           After a brief intermission, Ms. Shapiro took center stage to 
play 
the unaccompanied, Oddjob. Written by Finnish composer, Jukka Tiensuu, 
Oddjob 
featured the use of reverb which gradually intensified throughout the 
performance. The resulting effect was that of a complement of cellos 
playing 
a highly varied canonic pattern. <BR><BR>
          The final presentation was a work by Swedish composer Jan 
Sandstrom 
entitled, Strange Matter. At this point, Ms. Shapiro was joined again 
by Mr. 
Louma as well as violinists Wolfgang Tsoutoris and Andrea Schultz, and 
violist Veronica Salas. Before beginning, Ms. Shapiro informed the 
audience 
that the composer had been inspired by the scientific theory of Strange 
Matter*. The composition was skillfully based around motivic material 
derived 
from folk music forms. The canonic treatment of this material resulted 
in a 
delightful cascade-like phrase structure that lasted throughout the 
piece. <BR><BR>
          All in all, the program was a fascinating exploration of 
musical 
possibilities, as informative as it was enjoyable. The evening was 
hosted by 
Dr. Dinu Ghezzo, director of the New York University Department of 
Music 
Composition. Dr. Ghezzo was ably assisted by Dr. Youngmi Ha, Paul Lee, 
Jong-Suh Lee, and Chianan Yen. 
<BR><BR>

Thomas MacFarlane
<BR><BR>


*Matter composed of up, down, and strange quarks (rather than the up 
and down 
quarks in normal nucleons), It has been suggested that strange matter 
may 
have been formed in the early universe, and that pieces of this matter 
(called S-drops) may still exist.