The Stephen F. Austin State University School of Music will present faculty member Dr. Brad Meyer performing a recital at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 16, in Cole Concert Hall on the SFA campus.
Meyer, director of percussion studies at SFA, will perform “Mourning Dove Sonnet” by Christopher Deane, “Stop Speaking” by Andy Akiho and “Intersection Lines” from Meyer’s own composition, “Seven Images for Solo Concert Snare Drum.” Other selections to be performed include “Roar” from John Luther Adams’ “Mathematics of Resonant Bodies” and “Madera Viento y Metal” by Alejandro Viñao.
In Deane’s “Mourning Dove Sonnet” for vibraphone, the composer requires a performer to employ both standard performance techniques, as well as progressive procedures such as bowing of the bars with bass bows, producing harmonics of certain notes, and bending the pitches of bars, Meyers explained.
“Seven Images” was composed after Meyer returned from a clinic and performance tour in Slovenia where he visited a modern art museum in Ljubljana.
“As soon as I entered the museum, I was immediately captivated by several large-scale installations,” Meyer said. “These installations stayed in my memory long after I had left Slovenia. Because of my fascination with the museum and its art, I decided to create seven snare drum solos based off of seven of the most memorable installations and pieces of art I witnessed.”
“Stop Speaking” is a contemporary piece for solo snare drum and digital playback. It was commissioned for the 2011 Modern Snare Drum Competition hosted by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.
Viñao used electronic sounds to extend and transform the resonance and timbre of the marimba for “Madera Viento y Metal.”
“The harmonies in ‘Madera Viento y Metal’ follow not only the logic of the notes and scales on which the piece is based, but are also dictated by the colors and resonances resulting from the interaction between the marimba and the electronics sounds I created for this work,” the composer writes. “This interaction is dynamic, changing from moment to moment as the music unfolds.”
The recital is part of the School of Music’s Calliope Concert Series.
Tickets are $8 for adults, $6 for seniors and $3 for students and youth. For tickets or more information, call the SFA Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407 or visit www.finearts.sfasu.edu.
