New Music Marathon

New Music Marathon: Kronos Quartet, Bang-on-a-Can, Wu Man, Gamelan Galak Tika, MIT Chamber Chorus
Friday, April 15, 2011 / 7:00 pm – 12:00 am
MIT Kresge Auditorium W16

World-renowned new music powerhouses Kronos Quartet, Bang on a Can All-Stars and Chinese pipa virtuoso Wu Man teamed up with MIT’s own Gamelan Galak Tika and MIT Chamber Chorus for a five-hour marathon concert featuring works by Evan Ziporyn, Tod Machover, alumna Christine Southworth, as well as Brian Eno and minimalist gurus Steve Reich and Terry Riley.

Curated by Kenan Sahin Distinguished Professor of Music Evan Ziporyn, the evening brought together, for the first time ever, two trailblazing ensembles of the contemporary classical world. For more than 30 years, the Kronos Quartet has pursued a singular artistic vision, combining a spirit of fearless exploration with a commitment to expanding the range and context of the string quartet. In the process, the Grammy-winning Kronos has become one of the most celebrated and influential groups of our time, performing thousands of concerts worldwide, releasing more than 45 recordings of extraordinary breadth and creativity, commissioning more than 650 new works and arrangements for string quartet, and collaborating with renowned artists of myriad disciplines and styles from around the globe. The Bang on a Can All-Stars, with their unparalleled musicality, international touring, award-winning CDs and far ranging commissioning programs, have become one of the most powerful ambassadors for contemporary music in the world, called by the New York Times “a fiercely aggressive group, combining the power and punch of a rock band with the precision and clarity of a chamber ensemble.”

Program

TERRY RILEY • Three movements from The Cusp of Magic (2004)
I. The Cusp of Magic
III. The Nursery
IV. Royal Wedding with Wu Man
Tod Machover, world premiere of Chomsky Suite with Noam Chomsky

KRONOS QUARTET & GAMELAN ELEKTRIKA
Christine Southworth, SuperCollider, 2010

WU MAN & GAMELAN GALAK TIKA
Wang Huiran, Dance of Yi People, 1960, solo pipa
Evan Ziporyn, Aradhana, 2004, pipa & Balinese gamelan

BANG ON A CAN ALL-STARS
David Lang, Sun Ray, 2006
Michael Gordon, for Madeline, 2009
Julia Wolfe, Big Beautiful Dark and Scary, 2002
Steve Martland, Horses of Instruction, 1995

MUSIC FOR AIRPORTS
Brian Eno, Music for Airports, 1978
Arranged by M. Gordon, D. Lang, J. Wolfe, E. Ziporyn, 1998
Kronos Quartet, Bang on a Can, Wu Man & MIT Chamber Chorus