Discrete Infinity
$20 ($10 student/senior)
Claude Vivier – Samarkand for wind quintet and piano (1981) – Seattle premiere
Gérard Grisey – Periodes for seven musicians (1974)
Anthony Cheung – Discrete Infinity for 11 instruments (2011) – U.S. premiere
For its season finale, Seattle Modern Orchestra will host composer and Rome Prize winner Anthony Cheung in residency for the US Premiere of his 2011 piece, Discrete Infinity. The piece, borrowing its title from Noam Chomsky’s The Architecture of Language, explores the limitless possibilities of expression with a finite material such as language. Also on the program will be a classic of Spectralism, Gérard Grisey’s Periodes, and a little-known work by Canadian composer Claude Vivier titled Samarkand, in which he continues to work with melodies while exploring harmonies built on Spectralist thinking.
Pre-concert presentation at 7:30 PM.
About Seattle Modern Orchestra
Founded in 2010, Seattle Modern Orchestra (SMO) is the only large ensemble in the Pacific Northwest solely dedicated to the music of the 20th and 21st Centuries. Led by co-artistic directors Julia Tai and Jérémy Jolley, SMO commissions and premieres new works from an international lineup of composers, in addition to presenting important pieces from the contemporary repertoire that are rarely if ever heard by Seattle audiences. The ensemble "operates at that exciting cusp between old and new, between tradition and innovation" (Vanguard Seattle) curating new sounds and experiences for concert goers in the region.
SMO provides audiences with performances of the best in contemporary chamber and orchestral music, and develops radio talks, lectures, and other forms of outreach in an accessible and inviting format all designed to expand the listener’s appreciation and awareness of the music of today.
http://www.seattlemodernorchestra.org/