Wyomingarts readers may know Dainis Hazners from Story as a two-time WAC fellowship winner, recipient of an NEA creative writing fellowship in poetry and mentor to a generation of young poets through Wyoming's Young Writers Camp. Dainis also has an interest in music, tubas in particular:
Dear All:
Most of you already know that my brother and I commissioned a "litttle requiem" in memory of our mother Brigita Hazners. The world premier of "Bridge" was performed two years ago at the Wyo Theater in Sheridan.
This coming Sunday, November 22, it will be performed again, live on Wisconsin Public Radio at 12:30 p.m. (CST). "Sunday Afternoon at the Chatzen" is the program series name. You can tune in via the Internet by going to http://wpr.org and clicking on the button at top that says "Listen Live." It will put the broadcast into some sort of media player on the computer... Try this out now and have a listen to Wisconsin Public Radio.
"Bridge" is a fantastic piece of music composed by Michael Forbes, contemporary composer extraordinaire. Besides his many compositions he is also highly regarded as a performer, and is professor of music at the University of Wisconsin. "Bridge" is a piece written for tuba quartet and counter tenor. A very exciting piece of music (and substantial -- about 20 minutes long, in 3 movements), it is very contemporary in its various musical concerns, but also possesses lush harmonies and beautiful, memorable melodies. It is a challenging and rewarding piece in many ways. The brief text sung by the counter tenor is in Latvian, words that my mother wrote on the back of her last will and testament and also a couplet from a short Latvian folk song.
Sotto Voce Quartet, and counter tenor Lon Ellenberger, will be performing the piece.
An outstanding chamber ensemble, Sotto Voce Quartet plays a wide variety of music from Elizabethan Consort to Cutting Edge Contemporary (this Sunday!). They have played throughout the United States, have toured internationally, and have recorded several critically acclaimed CDs; several of its members have solo CDs as well (check the website below for more info). Its members include Demondrae Thurman and Mark Carlson on euphoniums; and Nat McIntosh and Michael Forbes on tubas. They are amazing! For more info about the group go to
www.tubaquartet.com .
Besides "Bridge," Sotto Voce Quartet will be premiering a new work by American trumpet player/composer Anthony Plog (now living in Germany) a piece titled "Fantasy Movements" written for tuba quartet.
Performance of these two works on the radio will be great exposure. In the audience there will be some 300 or so, then the radio audience will probably be in the 10's of thousands!!
Hope you can tune in,
Dainis
P.S.: For those unfamiliar with tubas... It's not what you might expect. The last 50 years have seen a great surge of interest in, and promotion of, the instrument. It is no longer relegated to oompahpahs from the back row, but has proven to be as capable of musical expession and virtuoso playing as the most accomplished violin or trumpet. Much new literature has been composed, and "Bridge" is considered an important addition.
