CNJS - New York Miniaturist Ensemble

The New York Miniaturist Ensemble: Sarah Frisoff (flute), Joshua Rubin (clarinet), Michael Caterisano (percussion), Philip Fisher (piano), Erik Carlson, Yonah Zur (violins), Tawnya Popoff (viola). Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, 65th Street & Central Park West, New York City.

Several weeks ago, some very exciting news surfaced on the New York new music scene. People began to buzz, and the story eventually made its way down the proverbial grapevine to my ears. The innovative New York Miniaturist Ensemble was preparing to unveil the world-premiere of First Natural Durations, a work they commissioned from one legendary, nowadays rather infamous, Mr. Karlheinz Stockhausen. Mr. Stockhausen, though undoubtedly a musical icon, has become quite the poster boy for bad press in recent seasons - a trend, which began as an uproar against the composer's rather "transcendentalist" remark following the American tragedy of 9/11. He called the attack: "the greatest work of art in the cosmos." Since that time, Mr. Stockhausen has firmly maintained that this comment was unfairly misconstrued during a press conference and has apologized for any injury it may have caused.

Notwithstanding this controversy, I awaited the eve of February 23rd with much anticipation, if only to hear a new work from one of the best-known living classical composers. Upon arriving at the Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, I settled in at my seat in the eighth pew and took first-glance at the New York Miniaturist Ensemble's concert program. Then, I nearly fell over.

Eleven different composers' names and thirteen different piece titles leapt up at me, not including the word "intermission," which was neatly printed in bold-faced type at the bottom of page one.

Now, I like to consider myself a "liberal" concertgoer, and am definitely an advocate for "new music," but so much of it in one helping seemed enough to send even the most faithful of enthusiasts flying home to hug their pillows and LP recordings of Beethoven and Brahms.

Five minutes and four pieces into the program, however, I was chomping away on a healthy serving of my own words. And yes, that's right, I did say: "five minutes and four pieces." This performance was built upon one of the most brilliant concepts I have ever encountered: 100 notes or less. All pieces on the program abided by this groundbreaking rule, resulting in a dozen works that were, on average, calculable in seconds.

"The idea for one-hundred notes," said NYME Founder/Music Director Erik Carlson after the concert, "came from many ideas that came together at once. There was the influence of short-form poetry like haiku, for example: the idea of a single ephemeral image. I thought it would be interesting to create a corresponding form in music. Also, there was a personal desire to connect with many more living composers."

Carlson, along with fellow violinist Yonah Zur, percussionist Michael Caterisano, pianist Philip Fisher, flutist Sarah Frisoff, violist Tawnya Popoff, and clarinetist Joshua Rubin, remained on stage for the entire first half of the concert as each piece was performed. The audience was led through delicious samplings of works from Giorgio Colombo Taccani, Mario Diaz de Leon, D. Edward Davis, John Thompson, Matthew Barber, David Drexler, Manu Vimalassery, Dai Fujikura, and Steve Kornicki. And amazingly enough, all this was accomplished in just under thirty minutes. No applause was solicited from listeners either before or after these short pieces, and whether this was the NYME's specific wish or purely a reflection of the audience's initial confusion remains unclear, but the quickened pace of the performance contributed much to showcasing the musicians' superb interpretations.

While it would be unfair for me to single out one or two composers from the program and prematurely label them as "breakout stars," I will say with utter certainty that concertgoers who may witness future performances of works by any of the aforementioned composers are in for a real treat. All of them rose successfully to the challenge of writing effective works within the NYME's parameters, and I must also assert that the organization's performers are very polished, inventive musical personalities. Together, these young stars are raising the bar to an unusually high standard that will be difficult to match by any concurrently running new music series, within New York City or beyond.

Having said all that, I do feel inclined to dwell for a moment on Mr. Stockhausen's First Natural Durations, not only because of the household name element, but also somewhat in spite of it.

To set the stage for the final piece before intermission, Carlson & Co. dispersed, and the piano was pushed to center-stage. A ruggedly handsome young pianist by the name of Philip Fisher soon emerged, and, breaking protocol, the stylish Brit paused a moment when he reached his instrument to expose a rather impressive arsenal of oratory skills. "Mr. Stockhausen had called this work 'a piece with forty-eight chords,'" he said, "and there are also twenty-four individual pitches to be considered. How they are used implies where the title of the work has been derived from. Each pitch is to be allowed to fade out until it is inaudible, before the next one is struck, thereby taking advantage of the natural acoustical properties of the piano as in instrument, as well as the space in which the piece is played."

The Holy Trinity Lutheran Church was suddenly awash with sound that rang out through the room's far corners, spilling down massive marble columns, swirling through intricate alabaster moldings, and drenching impressive frescos in a gloss of colorful resonations. These individual chords may easily have been taken for granted in alternate contexts, purely as working gears in a "bigger picture," but here, each one could be appreciated independently as a living, breathing entity that was welcomed to our senses without reserve. As each tone rang and then slowly began to fade, the ear found itself shamelessly begging, pleading, and beseeching it to stay. It strained to hear it, to hold it, to keep it from slipping away. But alas, a beautiful tone, like all good things, must come to an end. And the piano, confined by its elementary engineering, is always brought to its knees before the mercy of acoustical judgment.

First Natural Durations is indeed most powerful in its concept, which brings about my only cynical argument against this admittedly moving experience. The name "Stockhausen" seemed to overshadow all others on the evening's program, and given the exceptionally high standard of works from the other composers, I have to wonder if Stockhausen's premiere would have had the same effect, had the composer's name read "Joe Schmoe." Nevertheless, I'm tempted to conclude that a rose is still a rose.

For the second half of the performance, Erik Carlson and the NYME made the least expected, perhaps most enjoyable programmatic choice possible. They retrograded the entire program, so the audience could hear everything again, in reverse order. Fisher's performances of First Natural Durations stood back-to-back followed by each piece in short succession, until we were brought full-circle to the beginning of the program, concluding with a lovely rendition of Bach's Canon a 4. Listeners were extremely appreciative throughout, as marked by their acute stillness. (When I caught the lady seated to my left staring at me, annoyed at my pen-to-paper scribbling, I realized it might be worth making mental notes next time.)

Overall, I have only one complaint about this fantastic performance; one that is, I realize, invalidated by its paradoxical nature. I would have loved to hear longer works from these great young writers, as performed by these great young players. But in all honesty, I can't think of a better way to entice listeners to try something new. The NYME's brilliant concept breaks open a new door to the future of contemporary music, drawing listeners into a state of meditative curiosity about the many splendors, which may lie beyond its threshold.

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