The Russian composer Galina Ustvolskaya (1919-2006) created some of the most severe, brutalist classical music of the 20th century. Favoring stark textures and unusual combinations of instruments-- she never formally studied orchestration-- her music unfolds in ruthlessly throbbing rhythms, angular melodic shards, and resonant caverns of silence. Though she mostly avoided programmatic depictions and favored abstract titles, her work provoked visceral reactions: the Dutch musicologist Elmer Schonberger called her "the lady with the hammer," while Ustvolskaya herself described her work as "music from the black hole." Aside from uncharacteristic pieces she wrote for public functions, her work was largely unperformed during her lifetime. Only in the 1980s did her relatively small body of work begin to be performed and recorded, and Ustvolskaya still remains largely unknown even among aficionados of 20th-century classical music. The Arcana New Music Ensemble is proud to present the music of this unique and powerful composer.
THE PROGRAM
Composition No. 1 (1970-71) Emma Resmini, piccolo Jay Krush, tuba David Hughes, piano
Duet for Violin and Piano (1964) Min Kim, violin David Hughes, piano
Symphony No. 5, "Amen"(1989-90) Alize Rosznyai, voice Evan Ocheret, oboe Tessa Ellis, trumpet Jay Krush, tuba Min Kim, violin Eric Derr, percussion
Grand Duet for Cello and Piano (1959) Tom Kraines, cello Michael Tan, piano
