Chip Off the Postminimalist Block

This Friday, Leon Botstein will conduct the American Symphony Orchestra in Symphony No. 1 by Bernard Gann. Now, let me contextualize that statement a little. Every year just before graduation, Leon (our president) conducts his orchestra in a program of student compositions and concerto movements with student performers. This year there are four student compositions, by Craig Judelman, Kevin Gordon, Ben Richter (my student), and my son. Secondly, Bernard's piece is about 11 minutes long and in one movement. I remonstrated with him that it was customary to simply call a piece "Symphony" until you've written a second one, upon which the first becomes "No. 1" retroactively. This advice took root in the manner my advice to students usually does, and the title will be Symphony No. 1. 

I'm proud of all of our students' compositions, but given the topic of this blog I feel compelled to publish the list of influences from Bern's program notes:

Eastman, Feldman, Gibson, Garland, Riley - it's a pretty postminimalist list. The score was evaluated by Bernard's board: our expert saxophonist/jazz composer Erica Lindsay, George Tsontakis, and John Halle from the Bard Conservatory (an entity completely separate from the Bard Music Department, don't ask), who was the only other local composer besides myself familiar with all the composers the program notes mention. The performance is at Bard's Fisher Center (where Bernard's mother is general manager) Friday night at 9. 

Also, this thursday, May 22, at 7:30, my Disklavier piece Unquiet Night will be played "live" on a program of Disklavier music at the Yamaha Piano Salon, 689 5th Ave., 3rd Floor, Manhattan. Organized by composer Gordon Green, the program includes works by Chris Dobrian, Steve Horowitz, David Jason Snow, and Green himself. Unquiet Night is more totalist than postminimal.