Photo Courtesy of Present Music
Cello Cello
Two world premieres, three guest artists and four fantastic cellists are promised for Present Music’s next concert, “Cello Cello.”
So why all the cellos? Eric Segnitz, PM’s Co-Artistic Director, explains the choice. “It’s such a great instrument, and we had the opportunity to highlight a couple of cello quartet works, with some great players,” he says. “In general, the preeminence of the violin in Western chamber music has been called into question for decades, almost as a political statement. And why not?”
Since the early ‘80s, PM has been Milwaukee’s prominent champion of contemporary or recent music—let’s coin the term meta-pop—usually by classically trained composers. They are a performing ensemble as well as the impresarios of concert seasons that have seen many original commissions and world premieres. “Cello Cello” is exemplary of PM’s commitment to—as founder Kevin Stalheim insisted—the music of the present day.
Prominent within the upcoming concert is Paul Wiancko’s sextet, “Distant Maneuvers for Present Music,” commissioned for PM by Milwaukee’s Jan Serr and John Shannon and heard at “Cello Cello” for the first time. Last year, Wiancko became the new cellist in Kronos Quartet, whose inventive recordings made “new music” (meta-pop?) accessible to wider audiences. Wiancko already earned a reputation as a composer. He will be on stage with PM, performing several of his chamber pieces.
“Cello Cello” will also see the debut of multimedia artist Pamela Z’s “Raise,” written for Grammy-winning cellist Nick Photinos and three additional cellists, During the pandemic, PM performed Wiancko’s “Lift” in a virtual concert “and really loved his writing,” Segnitz says. “We’re excited to welcome both of them to Milwaukee for the first time!
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“Pamela Z was one of the first, and most imaginative performers to use voice and electronics in a live setting (she’ll be performing a solo set of these works),” Segnitz continues. “And she brings this aesthetic to her work ‘Raise,’ which features a solo cellist and three supporting cellists plus vocal samples, in a work honoring those family, friends and mentors who have made us who we are today.”
As always, PM’s objective is to make unfamiliar new music fun. “It should be a joyous experience, as Paul Wiancko will be joined by his violist partner, Ayane Kozasa, and some old friends from school—Ilana Setapen and Susan Babini of the MSO,” Segnitz says. “And new friends like Nick Photinos and Pamela Z. plus the core ensemble from Present Music, and conductor Yaniv Dinur. We’ll finish the concert with a high-spirited piece called ‘Hooting and Drinking Machine,’ which also involves the audience, and that will segue into a post-concert ‘Afterglow’ reception.”
Present Music’s “Cello Cello” is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Jan. 31 and Feb. 1 at Jan Serr Studio, 2155 N. Prospect Ave. For more information, visit presentmusic.org.
