Present Music explored yet another venue Friday evening with its concert in the student union of Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD). David Bloom returned to lead the program he built as guest conductor. Lasting about 30 minutes, the song cycle Waterlines (2012) by Christopher Trapani (b. 1980) is about flooding in the American South—the words coming from blues songs. Trapani’s brilliant, sophisticated music mixes contemporary art music with blues. Mezzo-soprano Lucy Dhegrae was stunning, with rich singing mixing various vocal styles: blues, gospel, jazz and classical.
There was whimsy in the early minimalism of Julius Eastman’s Stay on It (1973). Audience volunteers formed a speaking chorus, chanting the title of the piece on cue as the ensemble played. Goofy fun came in Meredith Monk’s Panda Chant II, again with a chorus of eager volunteers. The entire audience stood up and participated in Pauline Oliveros’ The Heart Chant, a silent group meditation. Tom Johnson’s Narayana’s Cows (1969) is a musical representation of a 14th-century Indian math problem, with the relentless syncopation of the score accumulating between spoken narration. Andrew Norman’s Music in Circles (2012) seemed a weak way to begin the otherwise interesting program.
