Fall Composers Concert Review
October 19, 2018
On Sunday, Oct. 14, Whitman hosted the Fall Composers Concert that I was happy to attend. The three composers, Bryce Weber, Neal Christopherson and Cory Cogley, all presented new works — each unique and immensely different from one another. The remarkable talent of all the musicians involved in the concert needs to be complimented, with everyone showing their mastery and ability.
The first piece, entitled “A River,” was written by Bryce Weber for piano and bassoon and is comprised of three parts. All the parts carried diverse emotional weight and complexity. For example, the beginning felt macabre because of a slight cacophony between the two instruments. The second part was rather melodic and evoked a feeling of nostalgia. The last piece united and glued all the parts together and created an uplifting yet dramatic mood.
After “A River,” the listeners enjoyed “Cousins Suite” by Neal Christopherson, a composition written for clarinet, flute, saxophone and piano. “Cousins Suite,” is a three-part composition as well, with a name that perfectly fits the mood and atmosphere it creates. In the first part, the flute, one of the “cousins,” was not present in the composition, yet the combination of the clarinet and saxophone was able to create a melodic and even soothing environment. In the second piece, the flute sounded romantic and its part was well arranged in regards to the saxophone and piano parts. The last part of Cousins Suite was a unification of all these instruments in a more lively melody that splendidly concluded the whole piece.
The last composition that was presented is called “Mist Variations” and was written by Cory Cogley. The piece is created for two guitars and has a conversational quality. The rapid changes in mood and tempo that it possesses make it truly remarkable. These changes make one reflect upon one’s own mood swings and demonstrate a very human-like aspect of the piece. We are all changeable and at times inconsistent in our behavior, and so is this composition. The guitarists Albert Diaz and Michael LeFevre showed an incredible level of performance not only through their playing but also their movements and facial expressions. One could see how many emotions playing this piece evoked in them.
This event is clearly one of the finest expressions of talent that Whitman students and staff members have. Hopefully, in the future, such events will be more popular amongst Whitties, as the Fall Composers Concert is a unique opportunity to listen to what the people around you create and allow yourself to feel new kinds of emotions that their music evokes.
*Cory Cogley is the A&E Editor for The Wire.
