Nick Fox
Percussion Works from Denmark, France, Brazil, and the U.S.
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Jan. 29, 2016
Studio Z: 275 East Fourth Street, Suite 200, St. Paul 7:30 p.m. $10 |
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Percussionist Nick Fox performs a concert of challenging solo percussion works. This concert is part of a midwest tour in preparation for auditions to DMA programs at the University of California-San Diego, McGill University, and Bowling Green State University.
Nick Fox received his master’s of music degree in percussion performance from Northern Illinois University. He received his undergraduate degree in percussion performance from the University of Wisconsin‐Whitewater. Fox was a founding member of the percussion quartet, Tofu Dump Truck, which focused on contemporary chamber works. In spring 2012, he was awarded an undergraduate research grant, which helped commission a piece by composer Matthew Burtner (Song for Low Tree). This work was presented at the National Conference for Undergraduate Research at Weber St. in Ogden, Utah and at the state conference held at UW‐Whitewater. Fox has also worked with Burtner to record several of his percussion quartets: Syntax of Snow, Siku Unipkaaq, and The Winter Raven. Fox has performed with Ensemble Dal Niente at the 2013 Latino Music Festival and the Chicago Arts Club in 2014. Fox performed at the opening concert for the 2012 Unruly Music Festival in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He was chosen as a member of the Wisconsin All‐Star Percussion ensemble several times, performed at CMENC (College Music Educators National Conference), and has presented many recitals throughout his undergraduate, graduate, and professional career. Fox is currently a private percussion instructor, freelance musician in the twin cities area, an active teacher/clinician at several high schools and universities, and half of the percussion duo Undue. This duo completed a performance tour including six universities in the fall of 2014. Fox’s present solo tour will include four concerts throughout the Midwest and is in preparation for DMA studies in percussion performance. Philippe Manoury (b. 1952) Le livre des claviers (1988) IV. Solo de Vibraphone James Romig (b. 1971) Block (1996/2003) Multiple percussion solo, three drums and three lead pipes Per Nørgård (b. 1932) I Ching (1982) III. The Gentle, the Penetrating Solo for kalimba, temple bowls, and ankle jingles Casey Cangelosi (b. 1982) Slight of and Evil Hand (2013) Solo for snare drum and pendulum metronome, with brushes David Lang (b. 1957) String of Pearls (2006) Marimba Solo Naná Vasconcelos (b. 1944) O Berimbau, pt. 1 (1979) Berimbau transcription from the album "Saudades" Program Notes:
Le livre des claviers IV. Solo de Vibraphone (1988) Philippe Manoury (b. 1952) The Vibraphone solo is the fourth movement of the cycle Le livre des claviers composed in 1988 for Les Percussions de Strasbourg. I composed this piece in order to develop one of the unique defining characteristics of this instrument: the ability to dampen individual pitches independently. In this work the ending points of sounds are as important as the beginnings. There is a polyphony of appearance and disappearance of different sounds in which the performer has the choice to dampen sounds using fingers or mallets. As such, the fingers (or mallets) are frequently playing the role of filters in electronic music. Formally this piece is quite elaborate and functions as a series of free transformation of a basic musical structure, each one with varying degrees of different manipulations. ‐Philippe Manoury Block (1996/2003) James Romig (b. 1971) Block is scored for three drums and three lead pipes, creating a six‐note ""scale."" The work comprises twelve intuitively‐composed motivic cells, each heard in four variations transformed—by the classic twelve‐tone operations (inversion, retrograde, etc.)—and linked together in a set‐specified order. Notable features include fractional meters (the use of ""twelfth notes"") and grace‐notes that occur after the notes that they ""grace."" Block was commissioned by percussionist Tony Oliver, who premiered the work in New York City in 1997. ‐James Romig I Ching III. The Gentle, the Penetrating (1982) Per Nørgård (1932) I Ching (The Book of Changes), four movements for solo percussion, was written in 1982 and dedicated to the Danish percussionist Gert Mortensen. I Ching is the thousand‐year‐old Chinese oracle book, whose 64 combinations of six “Yang” or “Yin” lines (bright or dark) represent 64 different states of being for all living things including human beings. The 64 states of being should be thought of as an eternal, hidden cycle which lies behind everything that we do: for example the supreme, the enthusiastic, initiative (combination or “hexagram” no. 1, the creative) or the despair of the moment, the warm and friendly, and so on. The states of being exist on all levels ‐ the official, the private etc. ‐ at the same time in many speeds. From these I selected four, the sequence of which progresses from a situation from which there is apparently no solution, to a (temporary) relief. The third movement is ́The Gentle, The Penetrating ́in which lyrical poetry dominates with gentle bell‐like sounds and delicate tunes. ‐Per Nørgård (1982) Slight of and Evil Hand (2013) Casey Cangelosi (b. 1982) Commissioned by Tom Sherwood for the 2013 Atlanta Symphony Modern Snare Drum Competition. Snare drum, brushes, and 6 count pendulum bell metronome. The performer sets a bell metronome to ring every six beats. Various brush techniques are required of the performer; flipping the brush from normal playing to playing with the butt end, brush strokes in specified directions, striking the drum and metronome in specific locations, and mimicking the metronome. The length of the piece must be timed perfectly with the duration of the pendulum metronome. The performer must time the metronome to find the appropriate number of turns to last for the works entirety. String of Pearls (2006) David Lang (b. 1952) String of Pearls evolved out of a commission from a consortium of amazing percussionists, most of whom I have had the honor of working with closely over the years. I had the idea to make this piece out of a series of little bursts of energy, with tiny pauses in between, accumulating in power and density. After I finished the music I realized that the form of the piece resembled a string of pearls — short, exciting, shiny moments strung together in a continuous line. When I started composing string of pearls I struggled for a while with the question of how to leave enough room for each of these players to make the piece their own. My solution was to give very little instruction on how to shape the performance. All the notes and rhythms are written down quite specifically but there are no dynamic markings, no accents, no crescendi, etc., and the players are instructed to shape each phrase ad lib. One performance may be all loud, or all quiet, or everything in between. It is my hope that by being vague with the performance instructions each of these incredible performers will find their own, unique version of the piece. String of pearls is dedicated, in love and friendship, to Martin Bresnick, on the occasion of his 60th birthday. ‐David Lang O Berimbau, pt. 1 (1979) Naná Vasconcelos (b. 1944) O Berimbau is the opening piece from Brazilian jazz percussionist Naná Vasconcelos’s 1979 album Saudades, recorded and released on the ECM label. This 1979 recording is probably Afro‐experimentalist Vasconcelos' finest. It presents his various facets ‐‐ berimbau playing, intricate overlain vocals, and fine percussion. I chose this piece because it reminds me of the connection I’ve made between the berimbau and my time studying with Dr. Gregory Beyer. Tickets can be securely purchased by credit card or through your PayPal account in advance, or by cash, check, or credit card at the door. Tickets purchased online will be held at the door.
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