KAMRAN INCE Passion and Dreams

KAMRAN INCE passion and dreams

PRESENT MUSIC Kevin Stalheim, artistic director Kamran Ince passion and dreams 1. DREAMLINES (2008) 15:11 11. ASUMANI (2012) 10:28 Kamran Ince, conductor Peter Thomas, cello Eric Segnitz, violin & vocals Mehmet ali Sanlikol, ney Margot Schwartz, violin & vocals Erin Pipal, viola & vocals 12. (2013) 13:55 Peter Thomas, cello & vocals FORTUNA SEPIO NOS Version for clarinet, cello, and piano. Collins Trier, bass Adrien Zitoun, cello Jennifer Clippert, flute & vocals William Helmers, clarinet William Helmers, bass clarinet Carl Storniolo, percussion Cory Smythe, piano Cory Smythe, piano Ann Lobotzke, harp & vocals PARTITA IN E (2007) Eric Segnitz, violin (2013) Carl Storniolo, percussion ZAMBOTURFIDIR 13. I 8:45 Kamran Ince, conductor 14. II 4:27 Margot Schwartz, violin Naha Greenholtz, violin 15. III 7:56 Eric Segnitz, violin Erin Pipal, viola 16. TWO STEP PASSION (2011) 3:46 Wendy Richman, viola Version for large ensemble. Adrien Zitoun, cello Kamran Ince, conductor Peter Thomas, cello Naha Greenholtz, violin Collins Trier, double bass Margot Schwartz, violin Cory Smythe, piano Eric Segnitz, violin Carl Storniolo, percussion Erin Pipal, viola William Helmers, baritone saxophone Wendy Richman, viola Mark Hoelscher, bass trombone Adrien Zitoun, cello 2. I 1:16 Peter Thomas, cello 3. II 1:35 Collins Trier, bass 4. III 1:14 Jennifer Clippert, piccolo 5. IV 0:56 Cory Smythe, piano 6. V 2:09 Carl Storniolo, percussion 7. VI 0:25 William Helmers, baritone saxophone 8. VII 1:05 Mark Hoelscher, bass trombone 9. VIII 1:57 10. IX 4:29 -—79:37—- innova 931

The music of Turkish/American composer Kam- The Ford Foundation, Fromm Foundation, ran Ince bridges Anatolia and the Balkans to the Koussevitzky Foundation, Jerome Foundation, West. The energy and rawness of Turkish and Reader’s Digest, Pew Charitable Trust and in- Balkan folk music, the spirituality of Byzantium numerable prestigious funding and performing and Ottoman court music, the tradition of Eu- organizations have commissioned works. ropean art music and American popular music ground his sound world. Schott Music Corporation is his exclusive pub- lisher. In addition to orchestral, choral and Ince was born in Montana in 1960 to American chamber music, Ince’s catalogue includes music and Turkish parents. He holds a Doctorate from for film and ballet. Judgment of Midas, an op- Eastman School of Music. He currently is Pro- era commissioned by Crawford Greenewalt to fessor of Composition at the University of Mem- mark the 50th anniversary of Sardis/Lydia ex- phis and at MIAM Center for Advanced Research cavations, premiered in April 2013 in Milwau- in Music at the Istanbul Technical University. kee, with Present Music and Milwaukee Opera Theatre, Ince conducting (released by Albany The Chicago Symphony Orchestra, BBC Sym- Records). His vast recording catalogue includes phony Orchestra and the Prague Symphony Or- the Five Naxos CDs devoted to his work. chestra, and such ensembles as the Nederlands Blazers Ensemble, Chanticleer Choir and the His numerous prizes include the Rome Prize, Los Angeles Piano Quartet have performed his the Guggenheim Fellowship, the Lili Boulanger works. Concerts of his music have been heard at Prize and the Arts and Letters Award in Mu- the Holland Festival, CBC Encounter Series (To- sic from the American Academy of Arts and ronto), the Istanbul International Music Festival, Letters. Chamber Music Magazine named his Estoril Festival (Lisbon), TurkFest (London), and Waves of Talya one of the best chamber works Cultural Influences in Globalization Festival (Ho of the 20th century by a living composer. Chi Minh City).

Dreamlines tone saxophone, tenor trombone and An architect’s prayer, recited in hushed certain percussion instruments.” Even tones over trembling, irregular unisons by Ince’s standards, Zamboturfidir is a in harp, piano and vibraphone, opens wild ride. Pauses just long enough to be- the 15-minute Dreamlines. Mimar Sin- come uneasy demark its nine episodes, an blessed the Blue Mosque with this including two evocative of the irregular prayer, a fitting introduction to music thump and grind of heavy industry; the that would cast the ineffable spell of the honk-and-scramble of a violent dance charged well of air in a great mosque or that can’t keep its feet; a woozy opium cathedral. Within such space, the violin dream of a seductive tune; a soothing and flute commence a murmuring that chorale that slowly comes unhinged, intensifies then dissolves into a sonic and more -- welcome to Wonderland. ether. The ensemble sings, along with • Commission: Arts Council of Ireland, for flute and bass clarinet, a dreamy little the Irish group Yurodny and the Turkish tune that takes an unexpected monu- group Hezarfen, 2011. mental turn. Sparks of metal percussion introduce and later interrupt a pound- Asumani ing folk dance. The prayer returns as Ince directs the cellist to play his main a bridge to the trembling unisons and theme “like a whisper.” Peter Thomas free-floating gestures heard at the out- heeds the composer’s words, and makes set. the tune hang in the air like a ghost, • Commission: Turkish Chamber of Ar- translucent but intensely present. In chitects, for their 100th Anniversary, this, Thomas matches the natural voice 2008. of Mehmet ali Sanlikol’s ney, a breathy, traditional Turkish flute associated with Zamboturfidir Sufi mysticism. The title means “accord- Ince invented the title of this ambitious ing to the skies,” as in yearning toward 15-minute work. The word represents the celestial. Though Ince spells out ev- “the edgy sounds of strings, wild bari- ery rhythm specifically, the music feels utterly unmoored from both bar lines hallucinatory musical journey with three and earthly concerns. The music lasts wan, poignant notes. Carl Storniolo punc- just over 10 minutes, but never mind; tuates them with low tom-tom strokes Asumani makes time stand still. from the center of the earth. In the next • Commission: Hakan Erdogan Produc- 19 minutes, they take us through seven tions, 2012. sonic regions. Savagery reigns in some of them. Others are sparse and lonely Fortuna Sepio Nos or aboil with wild parties or desperate Or, “Lady Luck, Protect Us.” Ince thought chases. Yet the music coheres; it grows of seamen and the images of Fortuna organically from a handful of modest they brought aboard ships since ancient gestures. times. He places this music in the mind • Commission: Violinist Cihat Askin, 2007. of a sailor considering all that might be- fall him even as he prays to Fortune. He Two Step Passion knows her to be capricious. Catastrophic This violently syncopated, relentlessly storms, debilitating doldrums and per- driving Turkish danse macabre begins fect trade winds rise from the page as with an ominous, weighty ostinato in the clarinet, cello and piano go to ex- the low strings and piano. An insistent, tremes of wave and wind to calm seas primal tune barges to the top of the mix. in about equal measure. Fortuna and the Metallic percussion suggests the clatter music inspire not only fear, but also awe and bang of spurs and buckles and then and reverence. hammering clangs during what might • Commission: Arkas Trio, 2013 be a wild dash through a medieval iron foundry. This brief, wild ride makes you Partita in E want to shout Hey! at the end. Ince strives to mix the spiritual qualities • Commission: Spark, 2011. of Bach’s violin music with the rawness of percussion and of Turkish folk and court —Tom Strini, October 2015 music. Violinist Eric Segnitz launches this Present Music Kevin Stalheim, Artistic Director

Present Music is one of the nation’s leading ensembles specializing in the commissioning and performance of new music. Founded in 1982 in Milwaukee by Kevin Stalheim, Present Music has worked closely with many of the nation’s most exciting and important composers, and has firmly established one of the largest audiences for new music in the country.

Adding to the national catalog of inno- vative new music, Present Music has commissioned more than fifty major new works. Among the numerous important national grants Present Music has received are awards from the Rock- efeller Foundation’s Multi-Arts Produc- tion Fund, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Reader’s Digest / Meet the Composer Commissioning Program, and the Aaron Copland Fund for American Music. Present Music is also the un- precedented, six-time winner of ASCAP/ Chamber Music America’s Adventurous Programming Award, including first place for the 2009-2010 Asumani, Dreamlines, Zamboturfidirand season. The ensemble has been broad- Two-Step Passion Recorded: August 29, 2014 – Sharon Lynne Wilson cast on National Public Radio, Wisconsin Center for the Arts, Brookfield, WI Public Radio, and Counterstream Radio, Recording Engineers: Ric Probst, Matthew Tucker a project of the American Music Center. Producers: Kamran Ince, Kevin Stalheim Editing: Kamran Ince Mixing & Mastering: Pieter Snapper Present Music can be heard on 10 com- pact disc recordings that include the Fortuna Sepio Nos composers Kamran Ince, Michael Torke, Recorded February 22, 2015 – Helen Bader Concert Hall, Milwaukee, WI Jerome Kitzke, Kimmo Hakola, Daniel Recording Engineer: Ric Probst Lentz, Joseph Koykkar, Randall Woolf, Producer: Kevin Stalheim Armando Luna and Elena Kats-Chernin Editing & Mixing: Eric Segnitz Mastering: Pieter Snapper on the Naxos, Argo, Innova, Albany, and Northeastern labels. Partita in E Recorded: September 15, 2014 – Helen Bader CREDITS Concert Hall, Milwaukee, WI Recording Engineer: Ric Probst Producer: Kevin Stalheim All the music on this recording is published by Editing: Kamran Ince Schott. Mixing & Mastering: Pieter Snapper

This recording was made possible by the generous Present Music support of John Shannon and Jan Serr. www.presentmusic.org [email protected] Additional funding for this recording has been Tel: (414) 271-0711 provided by the United Performing Arts Fund, the 158 N Broadway Aaron Copland Fund for Music, Inc., ASCAP, BMI Milwaukee, WI 53202 Foundation, Inc., the Wisconsin Arts Board with funds from the State of Wisconsin, and the National Innova is supported by an endowment from the Enowment for the Arts, along with the generosity McKnight Foundation. of foundations, corporations, individuals, and the Philip Blackburn, director, design; Present Music Commission Club. Chris Campbell, operations director; Steve McPherson, publicist.