Basso Moderno Duo Premieres Music of Stockhausen

The Basso Moderno Duo recently gave the North American Premiere of a work by celebrated German composer Karlheinz Stockhausen.

The Basso Moderno Duo performed the work for Bass included in 'Orchestra-Finalists' from 'Wednesday' of his cycle of Operas 'Licht: Die sieben Tage der Woche' ("Light: The Seven Days of the Week").

The performance took place at the Sitar Center, in Washington DC, and was hosted by the Great Noise Ensemble.

Betty Beath composes 'From a Lake of Honey' for Basso Moderno Duo

Celebrated Australian composer Betty Beath has composed a new work for the Basso Moderno Duo. Included here are her programs notes for this lyrical new work:

From a Lake of Honey…

I am very attracted to the idea of bridging cultures, of delighting performers and audience, of lush sounds and lyricism, so it was easy to say yes to Allan Von Schenkel’s invitation to write a short piece for the Basso Moderno Duo.

I wrote this work soon after completing a major commission for voice and orchestra, Gambar Gambar Jawa…Images of Java. The first performance had come and gone, I was pleased with the result and looked forward to writing a piece shaped by the familiar influences of home… sub-tropical Queensland, now at its best with the colours and perfumes of Spring and heading into the hot, balmy days of summer. However, in writing this piece I soon saw I had not gone far from Java… for the images and sounds which inspire this work might be found in the beautiful landscapeI held in my mind, a place you might find, at sunset, on the island of Bali, a ‘lake of honey’.

When I listened to recordings of the Basso Moderno Duo it was easy to respond to the lush, beautiful tone Allan Von Schenkel draws from his modified Double Bass and to realize how well he and partner, Kristen Williams respond to each other in their intimate musical conversations. These were influences which colour and give shape to From a Lake of Honey. Other obvious influences were the use of scale and rhythmic patterns which are associated with the gamelan.

I was aware that Allan would produce intense, warm, sensuous tone and that together the Basso Moderno Duo would ‘sing’. The piece is really a landscape of the mind, it is a simple musical work, which gives opportunities for an imaginative collaboration between performers and audience as they ‘journey’ to a ‘lake of honey’.

Betty Beath,
4th December, 2007.

Basso Moderno Duo: Recital in Spain

In October, the Basso Moderno Duo traveled to Almansa, Spain to give a recital. As guests of composer Sonia Megias Lopez, the Duo performed her Tango No. 2 and discussed the possibility of commissioning a new work.

The free recital took place at the Teatro Principal di Almasa, as did the masterclass given earlier that day with students from throughout Spain. The students performed alongside the Basso Moderno Duo during the opening piece at the evening concert. With bassists situated among the audiences they performed a work by the Basso Moderno Duo called 'Improvisacion sobre un tema de Pink Floyd'.

The recital was divided in to five sections: Del Este, Los Latinos, Los Liricos, Los Fluxus, y Los Serios. These mini programs helped to tie short works together and were meant to bring cohesiveness to an evening of miniatures.

PROGRAMA

del este
Improvisacion sobre un tema de Pink Floyd - Basso Moderno Duo
Dawn on Mountain Lake - Alan Hovhaness
Canto - James Niblock

los latinos

Habanera - Larry Bell
Tango No 2 - Sonia Megias Lopez
Soiree at La Playa Hotel - William Ortiz

los liricos
Nocturne - Ned Rorem
Winter Hubris - Lee Hoiby
Also - Lee Hoiby

los Fluxus
Blue Heron - Pauline Oliveros
Secret Piece II - Yoko Ono
Pa-Alulung - Jonas Baes


los serios
Dialogue - Felix Yanov Yanovsky
Outburst - Richard St Clair
Whimsy - Harold Colin Cowherd

Basso Moderno Interview with Gandalf on WJFF

Basso Moderno Duo was featured during a 2 hour live interview on Radio Station WJFF in Jeffersonville, NY on Labor Day during 'Monday Afternoon Classics' with Gandalf.

The interview highlighted both the music and the story behind the ensemble. In addition to the 12 selected works, the Basso Moderno Duo discussed its mission, contemporary music, and the new solobass/piano repertoire.

The program also featured the premiere of a composition composed by the Basso Moderno Duo entitled 'Inspired by Nature'. This piece is dedicated and inspired by the work of celebrated composer Pauline Oliveros. Oliveros, upon hearing the recording, called it "Beautiful".

An archive of the broadcast can be heard here.

Feature: Basso Moderno in Cape Gazette

Cape Gazette - Friday, August 12, 2007

Milton's 'House on the Hill' Presents Music & Art
by Kevin Spence
Cape Gazette Staff

Basso Moderno Duo, a musical group that has performed pieces written by Yoko Ono and other noteworthy composer composers, will play compositions specifically written to highlight the paintings of Heather Levy, who is holding a solo exhibition. "Flights of Fancy," contains 34 paintings described by Levy as modern art with an avant-garde flair."The whole body is a whimsical collection of pieces highlighting the miracle of flight, whether literal or figurative," she said. Guests will have the opportunity to hear and perhaps participate in a musical performance, as the Basso Moderno Duo will play to celebrate Levy's collection.

Members Allan von Schenkel and Kristen Williams have returned to Lavinia Street to perform for their third time at the artists' refuge, however this time, they'll play 'Whimsy' [premiered at the Smithsonian American Art Museum July 15, 2007]. Dr. Harold Colin Cowherd, a prominent African American composer, wrote 'Whimsy' over the summer and Schenkel said the piece appropriately fits the theme of the art show.

"We promote this music to nontraditional classical musical audiences", he said. Schenkel and Williams present new music commissions from worldwide composers including pieces written by Yoko Ono, Ned Rorem, and Pauline Oliveros. To date, the pair has worked with over 100 composers from 37 countries. In July, Basso Moderno Duo played in the D.C. Fringe Festival where they performed their own written work, '69 Ways to Fall in LOVE'.

Schenkel strums his bass while his partner, Williams, plays the piano.

Levy and the group often collaborate together, but pairing music with Levy's work is a new venture, said Williams. To nontraditional audiences, "Chamber music can be more accessible or easier to understand in an art gallery or a dance performance," said Williams. Jeannie Greenhaugh, 205 Lavinia St owner, said audiences are encouraged to literally join in the Saturday nigh affair. "At times, we include audience participation works, where everyone becomes part of the piece," said Schenkel.

Contact Kevin Spence at kevin-spence@hotmail.com

Basso Moderno Duo Commissions 'Nocturne' by Ned Rorem

The Basso Moderno Duo, in its quest to create a new repertoire for solo bass and piano, commissioned a new work from celebrated composer Ned Rorem. The resulting piece was his ‘Nocturne for Solo Bass & Piano’. Rorem stated, “I am going to write a real piece”, in response to the request for a short work.

‘Nocturne’ is a highly chromatic and flowing work with an endless melody which is always in transition. Both parts being equal, Rorem exploits the entire range of the bass and piano with long lines that are characteristic to his music.

Basso Moderno’s longtime dream to commission a piece from Ned Rorem was realized when the Smithsonian American Art Museum presented the opportunity to give a recital in the newly built McEvoy Auditorium.

Listen to ‘Nocturne’, by Ned Rorem, as played by the Basso Moderno Duo:
http://solobass.org/listen.html

Basso Moderno Wins Award

The Basso Moderno Duo has received an award from the Washington DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities for '69 Ways to Fall in LOVE'.

Elinor Armer composes 'Minotaur' for Basso Moderno Duo

We have just received ‘Minotaur’ by celebrated composer Elinor Armer. The inspiration for the work resulted from her recent trip to the Greek island of Crete. The historical site of Knossos is identified as the site of the Labyrinth were the legendary Minotaur lived. Armer identified with the half man-half bull because she ’feels the pull between the beast and the human in herself’. The Minotaur’s desire to be more human is a metaphor for wanting to aspire to greater things while being brought back to more primal states such as crude rage.

Music Web International: Interview by Dominy Clements

Basso Moderno Duo's August 2007 interview by
Dominy Clements of Music Web International.

http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2007/Aug07/Basso_Moderno_Duo.htm

About Us

The Basso Moderno Duo has commissioned over one hundred lyrical works for solo bass and piano by some of the world's most prominent and exciting living composers. Composers from over thirty countries have written specifically for Allan Von Schenkel's virtuosic and highly individualized manner of playing.

Kristen Williams piano playing is a perfect complement to the intense voice of the solo bass. Williams is a focused musician who is able to share, with the listener, her devotion to the piano. Our program is designed to delight and surprise audiences with a combination of lush sounds, tasteful writing and lyricism.