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Visual Abstract (2002)
| composer |
Pierre Jalbert (b. 1967) |
| performers |
Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble:
Lindsey Goodman, flute
Kevin Schempf, clarinet
Stephen Miahky, violin
Norbert Lewandowski, cello
Daniel Spiegel, piano
David Skidmore, percussion
Kevin Noe, conductor |
| affiliation |
BMI |
| label |
New Dynamic Records http://www.newdynamicrecords.com
|
| duration |
10:40 |
Pierre Jalbert:
"This work was written for the Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble. Each of the three movements of Visual Abstract was inspired by a visual image. The first uses the image of a tolling bell, and also its sound -- a loud attack followed by a decay -- and its sound backwards -- a large crescendo followed by an accented note. The second movement uses the general image of looking up at a church dome from the inside, but was inspired specifically by [Francesco] Borromini's dome at the church of San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane in Rome, which to me evokes a sense of infinity and timelessness. The third movement uses the image of a group of dancers creating an energetic choreography."
The music of Pierre Jalbert (b. 1967) is tonally centered, incorporating modal, tonal, and sometimes quite dissonant harmonies while retaining a sense of harmonic motion and arrival. Jalbert draws inspiration from a variety of sources, including natural phenomena, poetry, and spiritual concerns. He is particularly noted for his mastery of instrumental color.
The son of Québécois parents, Jalbert was born in Manchester, New Hampshire and raised in northern Vermont. He began studying piano at the age of five, and grew up hearing French and English folk songs and Catholic liturgical music. He pursued studies in piano and composition at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Ohio and composition with George Crumb at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.
Jalbert has served as resident composer with the California Symphony, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, and Music in the Loft chamber music series in Chicago, Illinois. Commissions and performances include the Borromeo, Chiara, Enso, Jasper, and Maia String Quartets; Budapest, Houston, London, and Seattle Symphonies; and violinist Midori. He is recipient of the Rome Prize, BBC Masterprize, and most recently, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center's Stoeger Prize. Jalbert was selected to participate in Meet the Composer's Magnum Opus project in which three California orchestras each performed his work Fire and Ice (2006) in the 2007-2008 season.
Jalbert is on faculty at Rice University's Shepherd School of Music in Houston, Texas, and serves as one of the artistic directors of Musiqa, a Houston-based contemporary chamber ensemble. Upcoming projects include works for the East Coast Chamber Orchestra, Escher String Quartet (commissioned by the Caramoor Festival), and Vermont Symphony. Jalbert's work can be found on the Cedille, Gasparo, Helicon, and Summit labels.
related websites
http://www.pierrejalbert.com
The Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble (PNME) was founded in 1976 by composer David Stock and since 2000 has been led by artistic director Kevin Noe. Formerly in residence at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the ensemble now hosts a summer music festival and tours regularly throughout the US. It has premiered more than 200 works, including commissions from John Cage, Michael Daugherty, David Lang, and Ellen Taaffe Zwilich. PNME also supports emerging composers through its biennial Harvey Gaul Composition Contest, whose winners include Pierre Jalbert, David T. Little, and C. Bryan Rulon. In summer 2008 the ensemble mounted a three-week run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Scotland of Just Out of Reach, a new "theatre of music" work co-written by Noe and composer Kieren MacMillan. PNME has recorded for the CRI, Gasparo, MMC, Naxos, and New Dynamic labels.
related websites
http://www.pnme.org
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