Music of the Last Ten Years Course Blog

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Bernhard Gander

Gander studied at the Provincial Conservatoire in Tyrolean State Conservatory in Innsbruck. He studies were marked with periodic meetings with Beat Furrer in Graz and the Electro Acoustic Studio at UPIC in Paris as well as the Swiss Centre for Computer Music in Zurich. Gander’s compositional voice is marked by his contrarian style. Forgoing classical aesthetics, Gander opts for something more akin to a heavy metal show than a chamber concert. While his orchestrations appear to use the classical instruments, his works bare the influence of his attendance at many metal and rap shows as well as his interest in electronics. In his work ' Take Five for Three ,' he forgoes the double bass and opts for electric double bass and two percussionists eliminating any pretense of a classical performance. I chose this work from the CD Polyglot, produced and commissioned by the Ensemble Moderne ensemble for Paul Canon. Paul notes how his relationship with Gander has pushed him to pursue ne

John Williams (in the past 10 years)

John Williams is most well-known for composing recognizable themes and scores for Jaws, Star Wars, Superman, E.T., Harry Potter, and more. However, most casual listeners of film music (especially among classical musicians) miss out on the wide variety of styles Williams utilizes throughout his works, beyond the famous main titles. I would like to present some of his lesser-known film works of the past ten years as a starting point for further listening. It is also important to mention that Williams has played a unique role in bridging the gap between film music and the concert hall. Williams originally studied piano at Juilliard before his composition career began. His classical background is evident in his large symphonic orchestration and neoclassical/neoromantic aesthetics. He is credited with bringing the orchestral sound to blockbuster film music in the 1970s, and he uses a Wagnerian leitmotivic approach to score with recognizable themes. Williams became the conductor for the Bo

Richard Blackford with the Bio Music

Richard Blackford was born in London in 1954. And he studied composition with John Lambert and conducted at the Royal College of Music, then with Hans Werner Henze in Rome. During studying in Italia, he was hailed by the Italian press as "the brightest new star in the constellation of the European avant-garde." On returning to London in 1977, he established the music theatre department at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. While at the same time continuing his work on the opera 'Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.' During the 1980s, Blackford became increasingly involved in theatre and television. He composed incidental music for plays and a number of scores for television dramas and documentaries. And, He is the recipient of several awards, including the Houston Film Festival (First Prize), the Royal Television Society Award, the Mendelssohn Scholarship, and the Tagore Gold Medal. In his works, he has composed in virtually every genre; ballet, opera, orchestr

Hyejung Yoon

“My works reflect my devotion to God, my love to my husband and children…and my life.” I recently had conversations with a composer, Hyejung Yoon . I had known her since August 2021, yet we seldom talked about her life and music. I got to learn more about this incredible person only recently. I am delighted to share her music on this blog. Hyejung is a composer based in South Korea and the United States. She holds a DMA degree from CCM and worked with Professor Mara Helmuth during her years in school. Before 2014, she specialized in interactive computer music and serial music that recalls 18 th -century musical style. After her marriage, she ceased writing avant-garde and experimental music and turned her attention to acoustic music. The first piece by Hyejung I would like to share with the readers is Duo for Two Violins (2012). Hyejung told me that this piece is “abstract but mathematical.” The work often evokes 18 th -century fugue and creates structural tension and release wit

A New "Day" in Music

Born in 1996, American born composer, conductor, and pianist, Kevin Day, has begun to take the musical world by storm. Writing compositions for the wind band, orchestra, solo instrumental, chamber, and choral medium, Day has already written over 200 compositions. It is no surprise to see Day’s passion for music seeing the household he was raised in. His father was a prominent hip-hop producer in southern California during the late 80’s and early 90’s, while his mother was a very successful Gospel singer from West Virginia. Influences throughout his life has led his musical styles to a combination of multiple idioms. Day’s biography on his website says, “…music often intersects between the worlds of jazz, minimalism, Latin music, fusion, and contemporary classical idioms." Day’s music has been performed in seven countries and by some of the world’s best ensembles, such as the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the Houston Symphony Orchestra, and the “Preside