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Home , Aaron Jay Kernis, Double Sextet, Harrison Birtwistle, Lei Liang, Mallet Quartet, Maurizio Pollini

Monday Evening, December 11, 2017, at 7:30

The Juilliard School presents Juilliard Percussion Ensemble Daniel Druckman , Director Daniel Parker and Christopher Staknys , Zlatomir Fung ,

Bell and Drum: Percussion Music From

GUO WENJING (b. 1956) Parade (2003) SAE HASHIMOTO EVAN SADDLER DAVID YOON

ZHOU LONG (b. 1953) Wu Ji (2006) CHRISTOPHER STAKNYS, Piano BENJAMIN CORNOVACA LEO SIMON

LEI LIANG (b. 1972) Inkscape (2014) DANIEL PARKER, Piano TYLER CUNNINGHAM JAKE DARNELL OMAR EL-ABIDIN EUIJIN JUNG

Intermission

The taking of photographs and the use of recording equipment are not permitted in this auditorium.

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Alice Tully Hall Please make certain that all electronic devices are turned off during the performance. CHOU WEN-CHUNG (b. 1923) Echoes From the Gorge (1989) Prelude: Exploring the modes Raindrops on Bamboo Leaves Echoes From the Gorge, Resonant and Free Autumn Pond Clear Moon Shadows in the Ravine Old Tree by the Cold Spring Sonorous Stones Droplets Down the Rocks Drifting Clouds Rolling Pearls Peaks and Cascades Falling Rocks and Flying Spray JOSEPH BRICKER TAYLOR HAMPTON HARRISON HONOR JOHN MARTIN THENELL

TAN DUN (b. 1957) Elegy: Snow in June (1991) ZLATOMIR FUNG, Cello OMAR EL-ABIDIN BENJAMIN CORNOVACA TOBY GRACE LEO SIMON

Performance time: Approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes, including one intermission Notes on the Program Scored for six laid flat on a table, Parade is an exhilarating work by Jay Goodwin that amazes both with its sheer difficulty to perform and with the incredible array of dif - “In studying non-Western music, one ferent sounds that can be coaxed from must consider the character and tradition what would seem to be a monochromatic of its culture as well as all the inherent selection of instruments. Guo cleverly qualities of the material itself, not all of announces both of these aspects, explaining which are perceptible or definable accord - that the work’s Chinese title ( Xuan ) trans - ing to established Western concepts.” lates as both “glitter, as in shiny metals… —Chou Wen-chung and also display, as in performers showing off their talent.” With heroic feats of The music on this program—all written by choreography and musicianship, the piece Chinese-born , all but one of requires three percussionists to coordinate whom now live in the U.S.—illustrates both and interweave their movements as they the contrasting musical traditions of East and share the six instruments, which must be West and the increasing inspiration that each played with a variety of sticks and mallets has provided the other in recent decades. and manipulated and muffled by fingers Percussion is an especially appropriate and and hands. interesting medium for these points of con - trast and contact. It has played a hugely Wu Ji prominent part in Chinese music and the ZHOU LONG country’s social and religious culture for thou - Born in Beijing, China, on July 8, 1953 sands of years, yet it has been an underuti - lized resource in Western music for most of Zhou Long moved to the U.S. in 1985 on a its history. But in the last several decades, fellowship to , where percussion has become a foundational and he studied with, among others, Chou Wen- transformational means of expression for chung. As with Chou, Zhou’s relocation to modern Western composers—due in no the West provided inspiration by means of small part to Eastern influences—and has led the juxtaposition of and cross-pollination to the discovery and exploration of a whole between his native musical culture and new world of sonic possibilities. that of his new home. “For every genera - tion, traditional culture is something already Parade formed,” Zhou has written. “What is cru - GUO WENJING cial is how to rediscover and comprehend Born in Chongqing, China, it more fully. … Artists of one culture or tra - on February 1, 1956 dition can also choose to absorb or extract the essence of various other cultures in Guo Wenjing is the only one of the com - the service of a lasting tradition. Such has posers featured on this program to have been my goal—to bring Western music lived most of his life in his native China. theory concepts into my music, which is Among the first students (along with Zhou always the result of my Chinese heritage.” Long and ) to attend Beijing’s Central Conservatory after it reopened in Wu Ji takes its title from ancient Chinese 1978 following the , philosophy: Wu , meaning “the lack of” or Guo went on to teach there and eventually “beyond,” and Ji , meaning “infinity” or the head the school’s composition department; boundless expanse of the universe that he remains on the faculty to this day. exceeds all time and space—so, all together, “beyond infinity.” A free-ranging work, there does often seem to be a sense set of variations that uses an extremely of the piano initiating musical gestures and broad palette of pitches and timbral shad - the percussionists evoking the sonic ings to evoke this unmeasurable vastness, “mark” that is left behind. The wide con - Wu Ji began its life as a work for piano and trasts of dynamics, sometimes lengthy tape in 1987. It was adapted for piano, silences, and fluid movement between furi - zheng, and percussion in 1991, and finally ous energy and impressionistic brushes of evolved into the present version for piano ambient sound, make for fascinating music, and two percussionists in 2002. both captivating to the ear and theatrical to the eye. Inkscape Echoes From the Gorge Born in , China, on November 28, CHOU WEN-CHUNG 1972 Born in Yantai, China, on June 29, 1923

Lei Liang began training as a pianist and An elder statesman of Chinese musicians very early—age four for the for - in America, Chou Wen-chung moved to mer and age six for the latter—and quickly the U.S. in 1946, already educated as a achieved success in both disciplines, win - civil engineer, to study architecture at Yale ning several distinguished Chinese compo - on scholarship. His longstanding passion sition and piano competitions. In 1990, for music intervened, however, and Chou while still a teenager, he emigrated to the instead ended up attending New England U.S., continuing his music education first Conservatory, studying composition with in Texas and then at New England Nicolas Slonimsky, among others. In 1949 Conservatory (bachelor’s and master’s he moved to New York, where he took degrees) and Harvard (Ph.D.), where his classes at Columbia and private lessons mentors included and with Edgard Varèse, who became one of , among several other his most important influences and to notable composers. Since 2007 he has whom he became a longtime and trusted been a faculty member at the University of assistant. He eventually joined the faculty California, San Diego. at Columbia and ultimately served more than ten years as the dean of its school of Like Zhou Long, Lei in many ways follows the arts and two decades as the chairman in the footsteps of Chou Wen-chung—in of its doctoral composition program. the case of Inkscape , a 2014 work for per - cussion quartet and piano, the connection “The West, in its preoccupation with poly - lies in the exploration of the aesthetic links phonic writing,” Chou has observed, “has between music and traditional Chinese cal - more or less forsaken those particular ligraphy and painting, a concept that has aspects in music of which the East has also resulted in several of Chou’s works. remained master,” but he notes that in “In traditional Asian ink paintings,” Lei recent years, Western composers “have writes in a note about the piece, “we often begun exploring the immense resources in discuss two complementary aspects: musical expression afforded by controlling brush and ink. Piano, in this composition, and varying the articulation, timbre, and serves as the ‘brush,’ and the percussion intensity of individual tones—precisely the quartet, the ‘ink.’” And though it doesn’t same resources that have been of primary pay to concentrate overmuch on connect - importance to Eastern music.” Throughout ing this metaphor to the sound of the his life Chou has dedicated himself to exploring what he calls the “confluence” Tiananmen Square massacre of 1989. But of these different musical cultures by afford - the inspiration for its evocative title speaks ing their priorities and concerns equal weight to its more universal message even as it in his compositions. reveals strong links to its Chinese origins. The composer—who grew up in Hunan, Echoes From the Gorge , written in 1989 for attended Beijing’s Central Conservatory a quartet of percussionists, is Chou’s self- after the Cultural Revolution, and perma - proclaimed magnum opus, representing “a nently relocated in 1986 to , summation of all the concepts, East and where he spent time studying with Chou West,” that the composer assimilated over Wen-chung—explains: “The image of the course of his career to that point. ‘Snow in June’ comes from a 13th-cen tury Divided into an introduction and 12 sec - Chinese drama by Kuan Han-Ching, in tions that are given evocative, nature- which a young woman, Dou Eh, is exe - inspired titles— Autumn Pond , Sonorous cuted for crimes she did not commit. Stones , Raindrops on Bamboo Leaves , Even nature cries out at this injustice: Her etc.—Chou calls for dozens of very specifi - blood does not fall to earth but flies cally codified instruments and performance upward, a heavy snow falls in June, and a techniques to achieve a vast but extremely drought descends for three years. Elegy: intentional variety of timbres, textures, and Snow in June sings of pity and purity, types of articulation. Despite being per - beauty and darkness, and is a lament for formed entirely on instruments of indeter - victims everywhere.” minate pitch, thereby omitting the most familiar and fundamental structural element Scored for solo cello and four percussion - of Western music, Echoes From the Gorge ists, Elegy is shaped, dramatically and manages to provide the mind with a clear structurally, like a pyramid. It begins with sense of development and motion even as fragmentary snippets of melody for the the ear relishes the freedom and wide open cello and scattered, eerie percussive spaces of its atmospheric sounds. effects, which slowly begin to coalesce, eventually building to, at the center of the Elegy : Snow in June piece, an extended passage of mournfully TAN DUN lyrical music for the cello alone. The focus Born in Si Mao, Hunan Province, China, then widens and softens once again, as on August 18, 1957 the singing, elegiac section dissolves into an interwoven tapestry of hard-driven Though all of the composers represented rhythmic passages and nebulous, swirling on this program have been profoundly splashes of sound. affected—personally, philosophically, or both—by the politics and political events of Jay Goodwin is managing editor at the their home country, Tan Dun’s Elegy is the Metropolitan Opera and writes about only one of these works to directly com - music for organizations around the world, ment on Chinese current (at the time) including , the Boston affairs. Subtitled Snow in June , the piece Symphony Orchestra, and the Australian was written in 1991 as a reaction to the Chamber Orchestra. Meet the Artists Druckman is chair of Juilliard’s percussion department and director of the Percussion Ensemble. Born and raised in New York City, he is the son of composer , and attended Juilliard, receiving both the bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music in 1980. Additional studies were undertaken at the Berkshire Music Center Daniel Druckman at Tanglewood. Percussionist Daniel Druckman is active as a soloist, chamber and orchestral musician, and recording artist. He has appeared in concert throughout the U.S., Europe, and Japan; in recital in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Tokyo; and as a soloist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, American Zlatomir Fung Composers Orchestra, the ’s Horizons concerts, and the Eighteen-year-old cellist Zlatomir Fung won ’s New and Unusual first prize at the 2016 George Enescu Music series. He has been a member of International Cello Competition, the 2015 the New York Philharmonic since 1991, Johansen International Competition for serving as associate principal percussion - Young String Players, the 2014 Stulberg ist, and has made numerous guest appear - International String Competition, and the ances with the Chamber Music Society of 2014 Irving Klein International Competition. Lincoln Center, Da Capo Chamber Players, He was selected as a 2016 Presidential American Brass Quintet, , Steve Scholar for the Arts, was awarded the 2016 Reich and Musicians, and the Group for Landgrave von Hesse Prize at the Kronberg Contemporary Music. Mr. Druckman has Academy Cello Master Classes, and is a also participated in chamber music festi vals winner of the 2017 Astral National Auditions. in Santa Fe, Ravinia, Saratoga, Caramoor, A regular member of the Jupiter Symphony Bridgehampton, Tanglewood, and Aspen. Chamber Players in the 2016 –17 season, he been featured on NPR’s From the Top An integral part of New York’s new music series six times, and has also appeared on community, both as soloist and as a mem - the station’s Performance Today program. ber of the New York New Music Ensemble, Mr Fung has been a soloist with the Mr. Druckman has premiered works by George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra, , , Jacob Druckman, Ann Arbor Symphony, Baltimore Chamber , , Poul Orchestra, Santa Cruz Symphony, Boston Ruders, Milton Babbitt, , and Pops, Lausanne Sinfonietta, Grand Rapids , among many others. Symphony, State Philharmonic of Sibiu, and New England Philharmonic, among others. He has also collaborated with Gilbert Kalish His teachers include Julie Albers, Emmanuel and Wu Han at the Chamber Music Feldman, and Nancy Hair. He is in his first year Society, at Zankel Hall, at Juilliard where he is a student of Richard and Colin Currie at Carnegie Hall. Mr. Aaron and Timothy Eddy. Kovner Fellowship has won numerous competitions including first prize in the Steinway Society of Massachusetts Piano Competition and the Rivers School Competition. Re- nowned musicians he has studied with include Sergei Babayan, Robert Levin, Peter Daniel Parker Serkin, David Finckel, Joseph Kalichstein, Pianist Daniel Parker, a native of Johnson and Fred Sherry. His orchestral work City, New York, is a student of Matti Congo was premiered and given two per - Raekallio at Juilliard, and is scheduled to formances by the Portland Symphony receive his master’s degree from the Orchestra. He frequently performs with school in 2018. Mr. Parker received his B.S. Juilliard’s two contemporary ensembles, in music from the Massachusetts Institute AXIOM and the New Juilliard Ensemble, in of Technology (MIT) in 2016 and was the the Peter Jay Sharp Theater and at Alice recipient of the 2016 Louis Sudler Prize in Tully Hall. This past summer his work for the Arts and held the Emerson Fellowship electronics, Gulf , was presented at the throughout two years of piano study with Atlantic Music Festival. Abraham and Ruth Sergey Schepkin. As the winner of the Turkenich Piano Scholarship, Josef and 2016 MIT Concerto Competition, he per - Rosina Lhévinne Scholarship formed in Kresge Auditorium with the MIT Symphony Orchestra. He has presented Juilliard Percussion Ensemble solo recitals in MIT’s Killian Hall and The Juilliard Percussion Ensemble was Juilliard’s Paul Hall and appeared in master founded in the late 1960s by Saul Goodman classes in the Aspen Music Festival’s and has since been led by Roland Kohloff, Harris Concert Hall. During the 2015–16 and its current music director, Daniel season he was a fellow of the Quaker Druckman. The ensemble appears annually Voluntary Service. Mr. Parker is president in two concerts at Alice Tully Hall, where in of the Juilliard Student Council and co- recent seasons it has explored works by founder of the Improv You Are Enough! col - Gerard Grisey, , and Rolf Wallin; lective. Works he has composed have celebrated the 85th birthday of George been presented in concert at Juilliard. Crumb; surveyed the works of the founders Louise Chisholm Moran Scholarship, Helen of Bang on a Can: Michael Gordon, David and Martin Kaltman Scholarship Lang, and ; and honored the 50th anniversary of the influential percus - sion group, Les Percussions de Strasbourg, by performing three seminal works from their extensive repertoire. The Juilliard Percussion Ensemble has appeared in con - Christopher cert throughout the New York area, includ - Staknys ing at the Danish Wave festival at Merkin Hall, the New Works/October series at Pianist and composer Christopher Staknys Miller Theatre, the Cutting Edge series at is in his fourth year at Juilliard where he Greenwich House, and at Carnegie Hall in studies with Hung-Kuan Chen. He has several performances of the Perspectives appeared as performer and composer inter - series curated by and Leif nationally in major cities including New Ove Andsnes. It also performed Steve York, Boston, Los Angeles, and and Reich’s with Colin Currie in 2014, and last season joined forces with Double , , City Life , Juilliard’s AXIOM ensemble for a celebra - and Music for Mallet Instruments, Voices, tion of Mr. Reich’s 80 birthday performing and Organ.

Juilliard Percussion Ensemble Daniel Druckman , Director Daniel Pate , Percussion Department Coordinator

Administration , Director of Conducting and Orchestral Studies, William Schuman Chair in Musical Studies Adam Meyer, Associate Dean and Director, Music Division Joe Soucy, Assistant Dean for Orchestral Studies

Joanna K. Trebelhorn, Director Lisa Dempsey Kane, Principal Kate Northfield Lanich, of Orchestral and Ensemble Orchestra Librarian Orchestra Personnel Operations Michael McCoy, Orchestra Manager Matthew Wolford, Operations Librarian Deirdre DeStefano, Orchestra Manager Management Apprentice