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October 29, 2009
Samuel Vriezen at the Roulette
Samuel Vriezen's playing the Roulette tonight. He's doing the epic Chord Catalogue by Tom Johnson and his own Within Fourths/ Within Fifths, inspired by Johnson's brand of structuralism in music. Tom Johnson deserves to be more widely known, not only as a Minimalist who embraces the term, but as a composer whose take on "music as process" is neutral enough that it may be embraced by any composer of any aesthetic. A couple of reasons why we haven't heard much of him: when he worked in New York, it was primarily as a music journalist rather than as a composer; now focusing on composition, his base of operations has shifted to Paris; it is exceedingly difficult to get hold of a copy of his classic (must-read!) book "Self-Similar Melodies"; and except for the classic theater piece for double bass player (Failing), his music is seldom programmed among New Music groups in New York. All the more reason to go for tonight's performance at the Roulette. Tom Johnson's found an ideal interpreter in composer/ pianist Samuel Vriezan, and tonight should be a treat. I know it clashes with the Merce Cunningham tribute-marathon at the Armory, but if I had to choose (and how lucky it is to have choices on a rainy New York evening), I would pick Vriezen playing Johnson, and so should you.
Originally from Theater of Found Sounds, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Oct 29, 2009 at 12:42 PM