The UCSC Music Department presents
GUITAR PEACE
with
UCSC Classical
Guitar Ensemble
directed by Mesut Özgen
and special guest Erdem Helvacioglu
Wednesday, March 11 2009 at 7:30 pm
UC Santa Cruz Music Center Recital Hall
UCSC Classical
Guitar Ensemble presents a special program of guitar works:
"Carnavalito" traditional Andean, "Dance of the Sugar Plum
Fairy" by Tchaikovsky, "Divertissement" by Olivier Bensa, "Story
of a River" by Carl Atilano, "Jive Jazz Jack" by Peter Curtis,
"Concerto Grosso" by Bryan Johanson, "Rumeli Türküsü"
by Mesut Özgen,
"Acerca del cielo, el aire y la sonrisa" (The Sky, the Air, and
a Smile) by Leo Brouwer, Mountain Mission by Adam Cotton,
and the world premiere of "Peace Trilogy" for solo guitar and live
electronics by the Turkish composer Erdem Helvacioglu.
"Peace Trilogy," written for Mesut Ozgen, is based on the Phrygian mode, a scale that is used extensively in the traditional musics throughout the Middle East, as well as flamenco music in Spain. The combination of this mode's melancholic sound, the use of various extended techniques on guitar (slide, bow, striking the strings behind the nut and behind the bridge, etc) and the sophisticated sound processing algorithms take the audience to a sound world where violence and wisdom coexist together. A complex patch has been created within the software Audiomulch for the live electronics aspect of the composition. This patch includes digital signal processing techniques like filtering, granular synthesis, looping, pitch shifting and such. Without the use of any previously recorded guitar part, the timbre of the classical guitar is transformed in real-time to many different, surprising shapes that create a virtual ensemble and amaze the listener. The composer himself will be controlling the surround sound mix via six built-in speakers in the Music Center Recital Hall, which will provide an exciting live performance experience for the audience.
Erdem Helvacioglu (b. 1975) is one of the most renowned new music composers of his generation in Turkey. He has received numerous international awards. His music has been performed at prestigious festivals and broadcast all around the world. He has collaborated with Mick Karn, Kevin Moore, John Wilson, Kazuya Ishigami, Luo Chao-yun, Ros Bandt, Craig Green, Jacob Young, Elliott Sharp, Bill Walker, Nathan Larson and Saadet Türköz. He has received commissions from artists and organizations such as the 2006 World Soccer Championship, Bang on a Can All-Stars, Todd Reynolds, Kinan Azmeh, Margaret Lancaster, Mesut Özgen, and Cem Duruöz. He is also actively involved in composing for films, multimedia productions, contemporary dance and theatre. His sound installations have been included at such galleries as Los Angeles Track 16, Indonesia Soemardja, Köln Museum für Angewandte Kunst, London Menier and the 10th International Istanbul Biennial. His film music has been heard at Cannes, Sarajevo, Locarno, Seoul, Sao Paulo, and Sydney film festivals and he received the “Best Original Soundtrack” award in the 2006 Mostramundo Film Festival. His solo album “Altered Realities” has been included in the “Best 20 albums of 2007” list in All About Jazz, Textura, and Cyclic Defrost magazines.
TICKETS
General: $6, Students: $2
At santacruztickets.com,
UCSC Ticket Office (831-459-2159),
SC Civic Auditorium Box Office (831-420-5260) and at the door.
