fa culty a rtis t s eri es
Benjamin Verdery guitar
morse recital hall November 29, 2011 • Tuesday at 8 pm Music by Martin Bresnick, Christopher Theofanidis, Ezra Laderman, Jack Vees, David Lang, and Benjamin Verdery.
Robert Blocker, Dean
benja m in v erd ery November 29, 2011 • Sprague Memorial Hall • Faculty Artist Series
Christopher Theofinidis
January Echo * New Haven premiere
Ezra Laderman
On Vineyard Sound * I. With rhythmic drive and propulsion II. Andantino III. Brusque, strident IV. With rhythmic drive and proplustion – Coda
Jack Vees
National Anthem * for electric guitar and pre-recorded tape intermission
Martin Bresnick
Joaquin is Dreaming * V. Joaquin Imagines a Part of History VI. Joaquin Foresees a Future VII. Joaquin is Sleeping, Joaquin is Dreaming
David Lang
Little Eye World premiere of arrangement by Verdery and Vees Jack Vees, pedal steel guitar
Benjamin Verdery
Now and Ever New Haven premiere
* written for Benjain Verdery
As a courtesy to the performers and audience, turn off cell phones and pagers. Please do not leave the hall during selections. Photography or recording of any kind is prohibited.
About the Artist
note was the commissioning by the Yale University music library of a work by Ingram Marshall for classical and electric guitars. Benjamin and Andy Summers premiered Dark Florescence at Carnegie Hall with the American Composers Orchestra and at the Belfast Festival (Ireland) with the Ulster Orchestra.
Described as “iconoclastic” and “inventive” by the New York Times and “one of the classical guitar world’s most foremost personalities” by Classical Guitar Magazine, Benjamin Verdery enjoys an innovative and eclectic musical career. Since 1980 Benjamin Verdery has performed worldwide in theatres and at festivals, including Theatre Carré (Amsterdam); the International Guitar Festival (Havana, Cuba); Wigmore Hall (England); and the 92nd Street Y, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, and Metropolitan Opera (all in New York City). His tours regularly take him to Canada, Europe, Asia, and throughout the United States. Ben has recorded and performed with such diverse artists as Andy Summers, Frederic Hand, William Coulter, Leo Kottke, Anthony Newman, Jessye Norman, Paco Peña, Hermann Prey, and John Williams. Several composers have composed music for him, including Daniel Asia, John Anthony Lennon, Ingram Marshall, Anthony Newman, Roberto Sierra, and Van Stiefel. Of particular
Benjamin has released over fifteen albums, his most recent being Happy Here with William Coulter (Mushkatweek) and Branches with works by J.S. Bach, Strauss, Jimi Hendrix, and more (Mushkatweek). His recording Start Now (Mushkatweek) won the 2005 Classical Recording Foundation Award. Other recordings of note include Some Towns & Cities, which won the 1992 Guitar Player Magazine Best Classical Guitar Recording, and his collaborations with John Williams (John Williams Plays Vivaldi) and Andy Summers (First You Build a Cloud). Benjamin Verdery has had many compositions performed, recorded, and published over the years. Most recently, the Assad Duo premiered Ben’s newest work, What He Said, commissioned by the 92nd St Y. Other recent works have included Now and Ever (for David Russell, on Telarc); Peace, Love and Guitars for John Williams and John Etheridge (sony); Capitola (John Williams, on sony Classical); and Give (for eight guitars). Ben’s Scenes from Ellis Island, for guitar orchestra, has been extensively broadcast and performed at festivals and universities in the United States, Canada, New Zealand, and Europe, and the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet included it on the CD Air and Ground (sony Classical). Doberman-Yppan (Canada) is currently publishing his solo and duo works for guitar, and Workshop Arts (distributed by Alfred
About the Artist
Music) has published the solo pieces from Some Towns & Cities as well as instructional books and video. Since 1985 Benjamin has been chair of the guitar department at the Yale School of Music and artistic director of the bi-annual Yale Guitar Extravaganza. Benjamin Verdery has also been artistic director of Art of the Guitar at the 92nd St Y since 2006 and was appointed an honorary board member of the Suzuki Association of the Americas in 2007. Each summer Benjamin holds his annual international master class on the Island of Maui (Hawaii). Benjamin Verdery uses D’Addario strings and guitars by Greg Smallman and Christopher Carrington. www.gamisim.com/artist/benjaminverdery
Notes on the Program
ezra laderman On Vineyard Sound
jack vees National Anthem
On Vineyard Sound was composed in November 2009. Its four movements reflect on some of the characteristics that make the guitar so unique. Each movement stays within a specific sound world, with the last section being an extension of the first movement. As with so many of my works, the opening phrase of each movement becomes the foundation for all that will follow. It lays out a sequence of notes that will be explored, transformed, and illuminated. As for the title, our boat “Molto Tortissimo” has sailed the waters of Vineyard Sound since 1975.
When Ben Verdery asked me to come up with a new piece for him, I jumped at the chance, but I did have one question for him. I knew I wanted to compose a piece that had some sort of pre-recorded backing tracks. I wanted those tracks to come from an album that Ben considered one of his favorites. The album he picked was “High Violet” by The National. (Bryce Dessner, one of Ben’s former students, is the guitarist in the band.) That choice led to some interesting, if unexpected possibilities.
– Ezra Laderman
I took several isolated sound clips from the CD and ran them through a process that has some electronic and acoustic elements to it. I played my sound clips into a grand piano with the sustain pedal held down. The resultant sound is not so much like reverb but more of a tuned resonance of the original sound that went into the piano. It carries a lot of the harmonic content, along with echoes of whatever voice or instrumental sound went into it. This provides a big, soft-edged, ambient backdrop over which there is space to give Ben lots of wide open melodies, and even a spot for a good, oldfashioned guitar solo. – Jack Vees
Notes on the Program
martin bresnick Joaquin is Dreaming (Joaquin Soñando) (2008) 1.
Joaquin Imagines a Part of His History (Joaquin Imaginarse una Parte de su Historia)
2. Joaquin Foresees a Future (Joaquin Preve un Futuro) 3. Joaquin is Sleeping, Joaquin is Dreaming (Joaquin Durmiente, Joaquin Soñando) Commissioned by Benjamin Verdery and dedicated to Benjamin Verdery and Joaquin Bresnick-Arrias.
Joaquin Bresnick-Arias, my grandson, was born on June 3, 2007, in New Haven, Connecticut. The child of Johanna Bresnick and Dimitry Arias, his wonderfully complex human inheritance (American, Ecuadorean, Jewish, Catholic, Russian, German, Spanish, native South American, and more) inspired me to reflect in a musical way on this joyful new person and his intricate place in a brave new world. Joaquin is Dreaming is dedicated to my friend and colleague Ben Verdery. His impassioned musical artistry has been a consistent and stirring inspiration to me. I am deeply grateful to him for making this compositional opportunity possible. – Martin Bresnick
Upcoming Events
Ettore Causa & Boris Berman
Prokofiev Piano Sonatas
november 30
december 5 & 7
Morse Recital Hall | Wednesday | 8 pm Faculty Artist Series Ettore Causa, viola; Boris Berman, piano. Schumann: Adagio and Allegro, Op. 70; Shostakovich: Sonata, Op. 147; Brahms: Sonata in E minor, Op. 38 (arr. Berman/ Causa). Free Admission
Morse Recital Hall | Mon & Wed | 8 pm Horowitz Piano Series Nine graduate pianists perform Prokofiev’s complete piano sonatas in two evenings. december 5: Sonata No. 1 in F minor, No. 2 in D minor, No. 5 in C major, No. 9 in C major, and No. 4 in C minor. december 7: Sonata No. 3 in A minor, plus the War Sonatas: No. 8 in B-flat major, No. 6 in A major, and No. 7 in B-flat major. Tickets $5
Vocal Music of England december 1 Morse Recital Hall | Thursday | 8 pm Britten: Serenade for tenor, horn, and strings, featuring William Purvis, horn, and Dann Coakwell, tenor; Walton: A Song for the Lord Mayor’s Table with mezzo-soprano Janna Baty, and Façade: An Entertainment featuring William Boughton, guest conductor, and Janna Baty and John McDonough, narrators. Free Admission
American Brass Quintet december 6 Morse Recital Hall | Tuesday | 8 pm Oneppo Chamber Music Series Music from the Renaissance to today, including works by Josquin, Gabrieli, Widmann, Trevor Gureckis, Joan Tower, and more. Tickets $20-30, Students $10
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P.O. Box 208236, New Haven, CT · 203 432-4158
Robert Blocker, Dean
music.yale.edu