Chamber Collective performs free concert Jan. 12
The Cleveland Chamber Collective will present a free concert, Music of America VII, on Sunday, Jan. 12, at 3 p.m., at Disciples Christian Church in Cleveland Heights. The program will feature works inspired by sounds from around the world—from India to Buenos Aires, Bali and Manhattan.
Blaze, by Reena Esmail, brings Hindustani violin virtuosity to the Western concert hall, showcasing Emily Cornelius on violin and Dylan Moffitt on tabla. Salad Bar, by Cincinnati composer Ellen Ruth Harrison, is a unique duo featuring violist Brian Slawta and flutist Linda White. The work is inspired by the climate by the Baltic Sea (as well as a pretentious menu the composer encountered while on holiday). Also included in the set is a lament for the Jews deported from Szczecin, the first German Jews to be taken to the camps in Poland.
Composer Gabriela Lena Frank writes of her Manhattan Serenades, “Although light-hearted in nature, [it] demands a high level of agility from both pianist and cellist. Elements of jazz define the work, including improvisation and triplet swing tempos that are not exactly notated.” It features cellist Jeff Singler, making his debut with the Collective, and pianist Eric Charnofsky.
Next on the program is the world premiere of Pan Dances. Cellist Jeff Singler joins Cornelius on violin, and Moffitt on his home-made steel pan instrument, in a set of three short dance works.
Missy Mazzoli’s Tooth and Nail, a work for viola and electronic playback, takes as its inspiration the music of Uzbekistan, where the jaw harp plays a prominent role. The playback is made up almost entirely of viola samples, thus creating a counterpoint between the live violist, Brian Slawta, and the recording.
The multicultural nature of the concert is brought together in the performance of Lou Harrison’s Varied Trio. The work was composed in the 1980s as a set for five friends, later transcribed by one of the original performers, Julie Steinberg. The work is full of Harrison’s trademark joyful playfulness, complete with internal musical games.
The concert finale is Le Grand Tango by Astor Piazzolla. Slawta and Charnofsky handle the blended syncopations of tango and jazz masterfully.
The concert will be live-streamed for those who cannot be there in person. Program notes are already available at the band’s website, www.chambercollective.org.
Ty Emerson
Ty Alan Emerson has been presenting music in Cleveland since 2000. He served two terms as president of the Cleveland Composers’ Guild, and is currently director and conductor of the Cleveland Chamber Collective. His works have been performed by many ensembles around the U.S. and in England. He composed Pan Dances, which makes its Cleveland premiere in the Jan. 12 concert.