Del Sol String Quartet

1 Terry Riley Dark Queen Mantra () I. Vizcaino : II. Goya with Wings : III. Dark Queen Mantra : With Gyan Riley, guitar Stefano Scodanibbio Mas Lugares (su Madrigali di Monteverdi) () I. Allegro : II. Io mi son giovinetta : III. Largo : IV. Quell’augellin, che canta : V. Che se tu se’ ‘l cor mio : Terry Riley The Wheel & Mythic Birds Waltz (8) : 2 We meet in town. Growing up, I learned take home. Terry is a Maybe because they that when you visit, tall man and needs need to go in for you bring something to stoop for the cellar groceries anyhow. from the garden. I door — “watch your Maybe because have some homemade heads, this door helps out-of-towners have pomegranate jelly to keep you humble.” a hard time finding and Kathryn has Other visits we will the way. Or maybe roasted some coffee. pick blackberries, Benjamin Kreith because Terry hasn’t It’s still early season sample his neighbor’s violin quite decided if he in the foothills so the wine, and enjoy big Rick Shinozaki wants to show us tomatoes haven’t breakfasts on the violin the ranch. When we ripened yet. Terry back deck. The back Charlton Lee follow his truck to Sri opens a mason jar deck has an electric viola Moonshine, it winds of salsa from last wire because a bear Kathryn Bates between blackberry year’s peppers and has been hanging out cello bushes, pines and tomatoes. We all love there. It’s next to the madrones along the chiles and the next apple tree and Terry’s Yuba River. half-hour is devoted alright with the bear to discussion of ghost eating the apple crop Around the same peppers, Carolina but you don’t want years that Terry and reapers, habaneros. the bear too close to Ann moved up to Also the best taco the house. Another Moonshine Ranch, my trucks along the drive animal visitor, “my parents were leaving to San Francisco. student,” is a wild the city to plant Later we all go down turkey who stops by their own garden in to the root cellar for every morning just as Northern California. extra jars of salsa to Terry starts his day by 3 singing his morning and Day. Also scores, ear. Somehow Spike Terry Riley horizon, it seemed raga, a practice he records and CDs — Jones gets mentioned Dark Queen Mantra a perfect time to maintains from years at first glance Bach, and Terry grins, aware Like Beethoven or commission a new as a disciple of Pandit classic Jazz, and Henri that isn’t the expected Shostakovich, Terry piece for all of us to Pran Nath. The turkey Dutilleux by the stereo. role model. Charlton Riley is a real “quartet play together.” sits up the hillside We all huddle around asks if the story about composer.” His collab- Dark Queen Mantra to watch and listen the computer to look John Cage visiting the orations with Kronos begins brightly with through the studio over the first sketches Redding High School yielded string quartet “Vizcaino,” named for window. The stairway that will become the football team is true. music that redefined the hotel in Algeciras to the studio has a new quintet. The lean “Parts of it,” replies and reinvigorated where Terry first sign “please remove forthright Spanish-fla- Terry. the genre. Another stayed on arrival in your shoes” but Terry vored opening, the —Benjamin Kreith longtime focus for Spain. The distinc- says that is no longer delicate ornamen- Terry is guitar music tively Spanish opening a strict rule. We take tation of “Goya with – mostly created for, motive plays with our shoes off anyway. Wings,” and the gently or with, his son, Gyan. shifting groupings The studio has a throbbing groove of But combining guitar and irregular accents. Mason & Hamlin grand “Dark Queen Mantra” with string quartet Terry started writing piano, a mind-blow- are already taking was the suggestion the second movement ingly detailed Balinese shape. Terry says of Del Sol violist with Francisco Goya’s woodcarving depicting that as a student he Charlton Lee. “I’d been paintings in mind. scenes from the never was a great wanting to find more Then the music began Ramayana, and a music-reader and felt opportunities to work to take flight and grew glistening psyche- more comfortable with Gyan ever since fast and fluttery — delic Ray Ginghofer improvising. His early we met,” Charlton “Goya with Wings” painting of two hands music education came explains. “With Terry’s he called it. The final holding the 1950s from listening to the 80th birthday on the movement explores girlie magazine Night radio and playing by 4 a heavier and more Stefano Scodanibbio above the low, Terry Riley Quartet in Campton- insistent groove. As Mas Lugares earthy fundamental The Wheel & Mythic ville, California, Terry says, “it gets (su Madrigali di pitches. Even the Birds Waltz he surprised us by dark.” Monteverdi) notation of these explaining that the Mythic Birds Waltz natural harmonics birds he imagined Dark Queen Mantra “Mas Lugares” never actually breaks (hollow diamond- came from Anagorika was commissioned transports Monteverdi into a waltz. Instead, shaped note-heads) Govinda’s account of for the Del Sol String to other lands, Terry views an Indian visually evokes an Tibetan Buddhism in Quartet by the Del new places where tabla rhythm through ethereal and esoteric The Way of the White Sol Performing Arts madrigals are refracted a kaleidoscope of sound-world. These Clouds. He had been Organization, with through the lens of possibilities, gently hollow note-heads are reading the book and the generous support Stefano Scodan- shifting the meter to like windows through wanted to give the of the Clarence E. ibbio’s prodigious set it dancing in new Monteverdi’s music birds a dance to do. Heller Charitable timbral imagination. ways. Sometimes to its photographic Foundation, the Phyllis Anyone who had the music surges The Wheel, the slow negative. “Mas C. Wattis Foundation, the good fortune to forward with sweeping jazz ballad that opens Lugares” is dedicated and the Fleishhacker hear Scodanibbio melodies, sometimes the quartet, reappears to Luciano Berio, Foundation. perform will recognize it lingers looping in in different guises himself a master the tactile sense of eddies. and meters — and of orchestration, virtuosity. As a bass eventually provides a transcription and If there’s no waltz in player, this often melancholy coda. re-invention of past Mythic Birds Waltz, meant exploring the music. then what about the upper reaches of the birds? Terry evaded instrument — high the question until, harmonics that float, unexpectedly, at like a Renaissance a preconcert talk depiction of heaven, with the Del Sol 5 DEL SOL STRING QUARTET Hailed by Gramophone Johnston’s microtonal composers represent Scrapyard Exotica (Sculthorpe: The as “masters of all Americana at the a diverse range of (2016, DSL-92193), Complete String musical things Library of Congress, contemporary voices, on the GRAMMY® Quartets with they survey” and exploring Andean including Terry Award-winning Sono Didjeridu, DSL-92181); two-time winner of soundscapes Riley, Mason Bates, Luminus label: “See if reveled in musical the top Chamber with Gabriela Frederic Rzewski, Ben your foot can stay still languages from Peru, Music America/ Lena Frank and Johnston, Gabriela once you put on this Turkey, Spain, Iran ASCAP Award traditional musicians, Lena Frank, Chinary funky disc of rhythmi- and Uzbekistan (Zia, for Adventurous deconstructing Ung, Tania León, cally infectious… DSL-92164); featured Programming, the Ruth Crawford’s Ken Ueno, Peter music played by the composers from the Del Sol String Quartet radical experimental Sculthorpe, Reza Vali, adventurous Del Pacific Rim (Ring of shares living music processes with East Mohammed Fairouz Sol String Quartet.” Fire); illuminated the with an ever-growing Bay schoolchildren, or and Per Nørgård. BBC Music Magazine string quartets of community of rocking Mason Bates’ lauded this “beauti- George Antheil, Marc Many of these adventurous listeners. techno grooves in his fully performed disc… Blitzstein and Robert works are included San Francisco club featur[ing] three new Erickson; and created Fascinated by the in Del Sol’s eclectic dance party. works which reimagine a vibrant dialogue feedback loop discography — eight, the string quartet between 20th century between social Recognized as a critically-acclaimed, genre in contrasting, masters and young change, technology, “vigorous champion full-length albums that colourful and composers from the and artistic innovation, of living composers,” reflect the ensemble’s intriguing ways.” Americas (Tear). the San Francis- Del Sol has premiered fascination with co-based ensemble well over 100 works the intersection of Other Del Sol The Quartet has is a leading force in through its extensive place and culture. recordings have performed at presti- 21st century chamber commissioning The New York Times explored the “hypnotic gious venues around music — whether and innovative praised Del Sol’s most sound world” of the world, including introducing Ben performances. The recent recording, Peter Sculthorpe the Kennedy Center, 6 Library of Congress, Festival, Montgomery, and Hirzenberg Music workshops, coaching Mellon, University of Smithsonian Museum AL; Hobby Center Festivals in Switzerland; and residencies. The New Mexico, University and National Gallery for the Performing and the Chengdu Quartet members of California at Berkeley, of Art in Washington Arts, Houston; Festival of Contem- also have worked San Diego, and Santa DC; Symphony Space Santa Fe Opera in porary Music in China. closely with student Cruz, Chapman, in New York City; NM; Chautauqua composers, musicians Augustana, Illinois With its deep Other Minds Festival Institution, Chautauqua, and faculty artists at State, the Peabody commitment to of New Music in San NY; Candlelight universities across Institute, the Manhattan education, Del Sol has Francisco; Cabrillo Concerts, Columbia, the country, including School of Music and reached thousands Festival of Contem- MD; University of Dartmouth, MIT, San Francisco Conser- of K-12 students porary Music, Santa Vermont Lane Series in Brandeis, Northeastern, vatory of Music.

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