BAM 2014 Next Wave Festival #GlassEtudes Brooklyn Academy of Music Alan H. Fishman, Chairman of the Board William I. Campbell, Vice Chairman of the Board Adam E. Max, Vice Chairman of the Board Karen Brooks Hopkins, President The Joseph V. Melillo, Executive Producer EtudesThe Complete Piano Etudes by Philip Glass BAM Howard Gilman Opera House Dec 5 & 6 at 7:30pm Running time: two hours and 30 minutes, including intermission Lighting by Jennifer Tipton Performed by: Philip Glass Bruce Levingston Timo Andres Jenny Lin Anton Batagov Nico Muhly Season Sponsor: Aaron Diehl Maki Namekawa Tania Léon Sally Whitwell Time Warner is the BAM 2014 Next Wave Festival Sponsor The original set of six etudes were composed for Dennis Russell Davies on the occasion of his 50th birthday in 1994. These Etudes were later Viacom is the BAM 2014 renumbered as Nos. 2, 3, 4, 5, 9, and 10. Etude 6 was commis- sioned in 1994 by WNYC for John Schaefer’s new music program Music Sponsor under the original title “Now So Long After That Time.” Etude 7 was commissioned by the Sydney Festival in 1996. Etudes 12 and 13 were Support for the Howard Gilman commissioned by Bruce Levingston in 2007 and premiered in New Signature Artist Series provided by York at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall. Etude 17 was commissioned The Howard Gilman Foundation for the 25th Anniversary of the Menil Collection in Houston, TX, and premiered in 2012. Etudes 18, 19, and 20, were commissioned by the Leadership support for music at BAM Perth Festival in 2012 in honor of Glass’ 75th birthday, and premiered provided by: in February 2013. Frances Bermanzohn & Alan Roseman Pablo J. Salame The Etudes—Program December 5, 2014 December 6, 2014 Philip Glass Philip Glass Etude #1 Etude #1 Etude #2 Etude #2 Aaron Diehl Tania León Etude #3 Etude #3 Etude #4 Etude #4 Nico Muhly Bruce Levingston Etude #5 Etude #5 Etude #6 Etude #6 Jenny Lin Sally Whitwell Etude #7 Etude #7 Etude #8 Etude #8 Timo Andres Anton Batagov Etude #9 Etude #9 Etude #10 Etude #10 —Intermission— —Intermission— Bruce Levingston Maki Namekawa Etude #11 Etude #11 Etude #12 Etude #12 Tania León Aaron Diehl Etude #13 Etude #13 Etude #14 Etude #14 Sally Whitwell Jenny Lin Etude #15 Etude #15 Etude #16 Etude #16 Anton Batagov Nico Muhly Etude #17 Etude #17 Etude #18 Etude #18 Maki Namekawa Timo Andres Etude #19 Etude #19 Etude #20 Etude #20 Who’sThe Etudes Who NOTE FROM PHILIP GLASS again I found the music was following a new path. Though I had settled questions of piano The 20 etudes for piano were composed technique for myself in Book 1, the music in during the years from 1991 to 2012. Their Book 2 quickly began to suggest a series of new final configuration into Book 1 and Book 2 was adventures in harmony and structure. determined by the music itself in the course of its composition. In this way, Books 1 and 2, taken together, suggest a real trajectory that includes a broad Book 1 (Etudes #1 through #10) had a twin range of music and technical ideas. objective—to explore a variety of tempi, textures and piano techniques. At the same time it was The pianists performing this evening were meant to serve as a pedagogical tool by which I chosen for their high level of technical would improve my piano playing. In these two accomplishment, wide range of musical ways, Book 1 succeeded very well. I learned a backgrounds, and the depth of their interpretive great deal about the piano and in the course of skills. Many of them, besides being known as learning the music, I became a better player. performers and interpreters, are well known as composers in their own right. I am grateful to all New projects came along and interrupted the of them for their personal efforts and generosity work on the etudes for several years. Perhaps for in bringing their own voice and interpretation to that reason, when I took up work with the etudes these works that are so meaningful to me. PRODUCTION MANAGEMENT Pomegranate Arts, Inc. Linda Brumbach, Producer The Etudes Philip Glass. Photo: Raymond Meier Who’s Who PHILIP GLASS (composer, piano), born in Coronation Concerto in New York and LA. Baltimore, MD, is a graduate of the University Upcoming projects include a Nonesuch album of of Chicago and the Juilliard School. In the early Andres’ orchestral compositions, a Gilmore Foun- 1960s, Glass spent two years of intensive study dation commission for pianist Kirill Gerstein, and in Paris with Nadia Boulanger and while there, a new piano quartet for Jonathan Biss and the earned money by transcribing Ravi Shankar’s Elias String Quartet, commissioned by Wigmore Indian music into Western notation. By 1974, Hall, Carnegie Hall, San Francisco Performances, Glass had a number of innovative projects, and the Concertgebouw. creating a large collection of new music for the Philip Glass Ensemble and for the Mabou Mines ANTON BATAGOV, a Russian composer and Theater Company. This period culminated in pianist, is a graduate of the Moscow Tchaikovsky Music in Twelve Parts, and the landmark opera, Conservatory and has served as the artistic direc- Einstein on the Beach for which he collaborated tor of Alternativa, the Moscow festival of contem- with Robert Wilson. Since Einstein, Glass has ex- porary music. Batagov has introduced the music panded his repertoire to include music for opera, of John Cage, Morton Feldman, Steve Reich, and dance, theater, chamber ensemble, orchestra, Philip Glass to Russian audiences. Batagov’s and film. His scores have received Academy discography includes more than 30 CD releases, Award nominations (Kundun, The Hours, Notes including his debut, a recording of Olivier Mes- on a Scandal) and a Golden Globe (The Truman siaen’s Vingt regards sur l’Enfant Jesus (1990), Show). Symphony No. 7 and Symphony No. 8— The Art of the Fugue (1993), and the more re- along with Waiting for the Barbarians, an opera cent album Tayatha (2013), a collaboration with based on the book by J.M. Coetzee, premiered in Tibetan singer Yugchen Lhamo. In 2009 Batagov 2005. In the past few years several new works received the prestigious national Steppenwolf were unveiled, including Book of Longing (Lu- Award in the Best Music category. minato Festival) and an opera about the end of the Civil War entitled Appomattox (San Francisco AARON DIEHL, a Columbus, OH native, is Opera). Glass’ opera Kepler (BAM 2009 Next a graduate of the Juilliard School, where he Wave) premiered with the Landestheater Linz, studied with Kenny Barron, Oxana Yablonskaya, Austria in September 2009 and his latest opera, and Eric Reed. He is a Martin E. Segal Award The Perfect American, about the death of Walt recipient and the 2011 Cole Porter Fellow of the Disney, premiered at the Teatro Real, Madrid in American Pianists Association. He has toured January 2013 and was performed by the English with the Wynton Marsalis septet and released his National Opera that June. His Symphony No. 9 first live album in 2008. His latest release, The was completed in 2011 and was premiered by Bespoke Man’s Narrative (Mack Avenue), is the the Bruckner Orchestra in Linz, Austria on Janu- current product of Diehl’s ensemble cultivation, ary 1, 2012 and his Symphony No. 10 received influenced partly by John Lewis and the Modern its European premiere in France in August 2012. Jazz Quartet. He is the 2013 Jazz Journalist As- Glass’ most recent opera, Spuren de Verirrten sociation’s Up-and-Coming Musician of the Year (The Lost), premiered at the Landestheater Linz, Award recipient. Austria on April 13, 2013. TANIA LÉON, born in Havana, Cuba, is a TIMO ANDRES is a composer/pianist who grew composer and conductor. León’s opera Scourge up in Connecticut and lives in Brooklyn, NY. His of Hyacinths, based on a play by Wole Soyinka debut album, Shy and Mighty, was released by with staging and design by Robert Wilson, Nonesuch Records in 2010. Recent highlights received more than 20 performances through- include performances of Shy and Mighty move- out Europe and Mexico. Her works have been ments with Brad Mehldau at Carnegie Hall, performed by such orchestras as the Ge- commissions from the Los Angeles Philharmonic waundhausorchester, L’Orchestre de la Suisse and the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, and Romande, China National Symphony, and NDR performances of his re-composition of the Mozart Orchestra. She has collaborated with authors and Who’s Who directors including John Ashbury, Margaret At- rapher Benjamin Millepied to create new pieces wood, Rita Dove, Jamaica Kincaid, Mark Lamos, for ABT (From Here On Out), Paris Opera Ballet Julie Taymor, and Derek Walcott. A founding (Triade), and NDT (One Thing Leads to Another). member of the Dance Theatre of Harlem, León He has also lent his skills as performer, arranger instituted the Brooklyn Philharmonic Community and conductor to other musicians, including Concert Series and co-founded the Sonidos de Antony and the Johnsons (The Crying Light), las Américas festivals with American Composers Bjork (Medulla, Drawing Restraint 9, Volta), Orchestra. Bonnie “Prince” Billy (The Letting Go), Doveman (The Conformist), Grizzly Bear (Veckatimest), BRUCE LEVINGSTON, who has performed and and Jonsi from Sigur Ros (Go). Recordings of his collaborated with some of the most interesting work can be heard on labels including Bedroom artists of our time, is founder and artistic director Community, which he co-founded in 2007 with of Premiere Commission, Inc., a non-profit foun- Icelandic musician and producer Valgeir Sigurðs- dation that has commissioned and premiered son.