By Grant North
On April 11 at 7:30PM, Warner Concert Hall will host a performance by the Oberlin Contemporary Music Ensemble (CME). Timothy Weiss once again leads the ensemble as he has for over 20 years running. His work at Oberlin and with other groups such as the Aspen Contemporary Ensemble and the Zohn-Collective has cemented his mastery over 20th and 21st century compositions. Weiss continues his long standing tradition of seeking bold new pieces to perform for his audience with two selected pieces by composer-in-residence and co-director of the Aspen Music Festival Christopher Theofanidis.
Theofanidis, graduate from Yale and Eastman School of Music, has received many awards throughout his long career. These include the Prix de Rome and two Grammy nominations in 2007 and 2017 for The Here and Now for chorus and orchestra and his Bassoon Concerto. As of 2022, he has been inducted as a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters after receiving two Charles Ives Fellowships. Theofanidis has also written for the stage with two operas The Refuge (2007) and Heart of a Soldier (2011). For Thursday’s performance, the CME will be performing two recent orchestral works by Theofanidis titled If Falling Is A Leaf and a reorchestration of Artemis. If Falling Is A Leaf incorporates harpsichord into a modern day ensemble, inspired by Melissa Studdard’s poem of the same name that seeks to crystallize the imagery of autumn—
urging the earth
into autumn
the branch is a lover who remembers
orange unlocked at the gates of fire
orange so bold it seduces green
Theofanidis composed his ballet Artemis in 2003 and the 2023 revision will be performed for the very first time, bringing the music from the theater to the concert hall. Paired with the iconic Black Angels by George Crumb, this program seeks to combine old favorites, reimaginings, and fresh material.
Speaking of fresh material, there will also be a world premiere of It Sneaks Up On You, an original piece written by Oberlin Conservatory’s own Jerry Achtermann. Achtermann, a fourth year composition and cinema studies student, will be graduating in December of this year, marking April 11th as one of his final performances at Oberlin before journeying to grad school or residencies. I had a chance to sit down with Achtermann and discuss his never before heard piece.
All composition majors are offered a chance to work with Timothy Weiss, said Achtermann, but it was Weiss who approached him to set up the performance for the CME. Theofanidis was already using full sinfonietta instrumentation so Achtermann adopted that same group. “I wasn’t sure if there’d be a piano, so I left it out from the score. As soon as I finished the piece, I was notified that the piano would actually be available. I sort of shrugged my shoulders and moved on.” It Sneaks Up On You is split into two distinct halves. The first is a groove-oriented, repetitive build up that lasts a full four minutes. Achtermann is a fan of minimalist works and incorporates the styles of Steve Reich and Philip Glass into his own writing. “I didn’t go into this piece with any specific references or inspirations. On reflection, it sounds to me a lot like John Adams’ A Short Ride In A Fast Machine.” The second half makes up the rest of the nine minute piece, transitioning into more romantic, legato passages. “It’s a massive contrast,” said Achtermann, “I really wanted to stretch out this single instance of tension and release.” He made comparisons to the works of John Williams and other film scores of his style. I asked him about what he wanted the audience to experience during It Sneaks Up On You. “I want them to feel like it’s a rollercoaster, that there’s so much material in nine minutes. I want them to walk out of the building shocked at how much music was condensed into that time frame.”
thecounterpoint.org 