Still Life and Titanic
Sunday, Apr 2, 2023 8pm
Phillip T. Young Recital Hall
(UVic School of Music, MacLaurin Building)
Tickets at the door $25 or online
Aventa Ensemble
Bill Linwood, conductor
Missy Mazzoli, Still Life With Avalanche
György Ligeti, Chamber Concerto
Taylor Brook, Lore *
Gavin Bryars, The Sinking of the Titanic
Alongside the iconic Chamber Concerto and Gavin Bryars’ masterpiece The Sinking of the Titanic, Aventa presents music from the astonishing American composer Missy Mazzoli. Described by Time Out as a “post-millennial Mozart,” Mazzoli is one of the most inventive and surprising composers creating today. In Still Life With Avalanche, a strange and evocative sonic landscape emerges as piles of melodies collapse in a chaotic free fall, with bursts of sounds layering over the static drones of harmonicas. “At its core, this is a piece about finding beauty in chaos, and vice versa.” – Missy Mazzoli
Rounding out the evening’s performance is the world premiere of Taylor Brook’s Lore. Written for Aventa in the Summer and Fall of 2022, Lore is a set of six “songs”, each focusing on a different lead instrument or instrumental group. “I call these pieces “songs,” despite having no voice part, to help conjure a sense of imaginary musical tradition. Each of the songs is envisioned as belonging to a musical tradition in another reality, perhaps an alternate version of our own history. These imaginary musical traditions have their own unique performance practice, understanding of musical meaning, expression, and sense of cultural place.” – Taylor Brook
* World premiere