Percussionists to pound out profound program

Thursday, March 20, 2008

By Richard Anderson

Jackson Hole, Wyo.-In the past 10 years, some of the best-attended concerts presented by the Grand Teton Music Festival have been all-percussion programs. The Festival concludes its 2008 winter series with such a concert, including many of the favorites from the past decade.

Long-time Festival percussionists Richard Brown and Brian Prechtl join William Cahn, a founding member of the groundbreaking percussion group NEXUS; Wiley Sykes, a composer and master of the Indian tabla; and Tom Sherwood, principal percussionist with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, for “Chamber Music for Percussion” at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday at Walk Festival Hall.

Major works on the program include Steve Reich’s “Music for Pieces of Wood” and a section from his work “Drumming,” Christopher Rouse’s Haitian-inspired “Ogoun Badagris” and John Cage’s “Third Construction.”
Cahn called Reich’s “Drumming” a masterpiece, described the Rouse as “fast, loud and exciting,” and raved about the Cage. “I’ve played it a hundred times, if not more, and I always hear something more,” he said.

Also planned are several originals by members of the ensemble. Cahn, who has been charged with rounding up many of the odd and exotic instruments needed for the concert, will present “Ching,” named after some tiny cymbals he acquired in Hong Kong. The group also will play Prechtl’s “What is Good,” composed in 1998 for mallet instruments and premiered at the Grand Teton Music Festival, and Sykes’ “Chiasmata,” which is based on the classical music of northern India and will feature his mesmerizing tabla playing.

Some ancient military drum pieces will round out the program – rudiments and patterns that date back to the 18th century and which Cahn said are the very roots of western-style classical snare drumming.
“Whenever you go to a parade, you’re hearing the music that comes out of this tradition,” he said.

“It’s quite a program,” Cahn continued, and due to the geographic distribution of the performers – Cahn lives in upstate New York, Prechtl in Baltimore, Brown in Houston, Sherwood in Atlanta, and Sykes in North Carolina – it largely will be put together during two intense days of rehearsal once everyone is gathered in Jackson.
“We’re all professionals and it’ll happen very nicely,” Cahn said. “It’s a major program, but these guys are so good.”

Lengthy friendships among players should help, too. Brown and Prechtl have performed together at the Festival for many years, and Cahn has known Brown since junior high in Philadelphia. While they went to different schools, they played together in the all-Philly high school orchestra.

As usual, the Thursday, March 20 percussion program will include day-time concerts for valley students, but, due to the large number of instruments – everything from tire irons to bongos – students will travel to Walk Hall in Teton Village.

The concert starts at 7:30 p.m. Thursday in Walk Festival Hall. Tickets to “Chamber Music for Percussion” costs $25 for adults, $5 for students. For tickets and other information, call the Festival Box Office at 733-1128 or visit www.GTMF.org.

Courtesy Photo
Making a wonderful noise at Walk Festival Hall.

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Percussionists to pound out profound program | Planet JH News Article: General News

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