Café Damas Kinen Azmeh

New York Philharmonic Presents their many complexities and hidden hyper- Café Damas, which receives its World activity, primarily through timbre. The second Premiere in this performance, draws on movement is centered around the role of Azmeh’s relationship to the New York Phil- spatial and temporal organization of musical harmonic, “the Biggest Band in New York” ideas as well as the physical and contextual (with which he has worked twice before, questioning of music repetition. The third once as a performer and once as a com- movement both summarizes the two pre- poser), as well as his relationship to his vious movements and adds to them other hometown of Damascus. He said: elements dear to me: virtual polyphony (the il- lusion of a bigger instrumental force), internal I wanted to bring the musicians of the and external counterpoint, stylistic plurality at Philharmonic closer to my home, both the service of the music material, and close conceptually and culturally. This work is structuring of transitions and proportions. inspired by the idea of an imaginary tra- ditional house band in a 1960s café in Composer, clarinet soloist, and improviser Damascus, a band that has not changed Kinan Azmeh was born in Damascus, Syria, personnel nor location for decades and and lives in New York City. He is the rare mu- continued to play in spite of all. Musically sician who elegantly shifts roles from creator speaking, this piece enjoys a rather tra- to interpreter, writing for and performing with ditional form that opens with a Taqasi¯m some of the most iconic musicians alive to- (melodic improvisation), which introduc- day, including frequent collaborator Yo-Yo Ma. es the listener to the Maqam (mode) of As a child, Azmeh was the first Arab to win the composition, followed by a verity of First Prize at the Nicolai Rubinstein interna- fast modal and rhythmic transformations tional youth competition in Moscow. As an and “solos.” Finally, there is a coda that adult, Azmeh has continued to move seam- brings back a distant and faded memory lessly between worlds and idioms, putting of the same imaginary band in that imag- his Juilliard training to work in classical, jazz, inary Damascene café. electronic, and Arabic music. Café Damas Kinen Azmeh Born: June 10, 1976, in Damascus, Syria Resides: in New York City Work composed: 2018 World premiere: this performance New York Philharmonic Presents New York Stories: Threads of Our City This performance is part of New York Stories: Bruno Walter Gallery at David Geffen Hall, Threads of Our City, two weeks of concerts Immigrant New York: Celebrating the Work- and events by the New York Philharmonic and ers and Musicians of Our City, explores Music Director Jaap van Zweden examining immigrant musicians of the Philharmonic, New York’s roots as a city of immigrants. The both past and present, and immigrant fac- centerpiece was the World Premiere, on Jan- tory workers. It features materials and doc- uary 24, of Julia Wolfe’s Fire in my mouth, co- uments from the Archives; the Forward; commissioned by the Philharmonic. The work the Museum of the City of New York; the reflects on the New York garment industry at the National Archives at New York City; and the turn of the 20th century and the 1911 Triangle Kheel Center at Cornell University. Shirtwaist Factory fire, which killed 146 garment workers, most of them young immigrants. As the concluding event, “Threads” is a new-music concert featuring Philharmonic Mu- Ancillary events have included a perfor- sicians performing chamber music by com- mance by Philharmonic Musicians at the posers who have been influenced by their Tenement Museum, and an invitation for time in America. audience members and fans to share their own stories of immigration, migration, and New York Stories: Threads of Our City is one cultural heritage on the Philharmonic’s Your of three pillars anchoring the Philharmon- Story, Our Story webpage, presented by ic’s 2018–19 season; the others are The Art the museum. A special exhibit mounted by of Andriessen and Music of Conscience. the New York Philharmonic Archives in the Learn more at nyphil.org/season-highlights. Threads of New York: inside a garment factory populated by immigrant workers, ca. 1900 (Photo courtesy the Kheel Center at Cornell University).

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