Photo via Present Music
Present Music is about to conclude its virtual season and—as usual for Milwaukee’s internationally respected ensemble—their concert has a theme. An appropriate theme, of course. The concert is called “Neon Life” and as co-artistic director Eric Segnitz describes it, the concert is all about “emerging from our dark cocoons after COVID, not really knowing what awaits us in the light, except for the usual paradoxes of life. This program explores some of those, with a beautiful and contemplative piece called Life woven between some distinctive and adventurous works—like the saying ‘Life is what happens while you're making other plans.’”
The concert was filmed live in an empty Turner Hall Ballroom by Milwaukee media production company TankThink. Says producer Wes Tank, “Neon Life” is designed “on the edge of what feels like a ‘return to normal’ while collectively trying to remember what ‘normal’ is.” Tank shot the concert along with camera operators Ryan Sarnowski, Alvin Connor and Kelly Michael Anderson. “Additionally, abstracted exterior footage was filmed by Samer Ghani to poetically pull from modern life, intending to represent a distorted memory being pieced together to create a new path forward,” he continues. Edited by Johnathan Olsen and Ryan Sarnowski, “each composition has been layered and punctuated to accompany the music as a visual poem reflecting the anxious limbo our society currently finds itself in.”
Collaboration has long been integral to Present Music’s mission. “Neon Life” is the fourth time they’ve worked with TankThink.
Central to the concert is Life by Dutch composer Louis Andriessen, who writes for percussion and amplified devices as well as traditional instruments. The four-movement Life was written to be accompanied by film. “There were four short films created to accompany each movement for the premiere, but we are not using those,” says co-artistic director David Bloom. “Instead, TankThink is creating original films for this piece. Very exciting!”
“The other pieces were chosen for stark contrast, from funky to majestic,” says Segnitz. Those pieces include Israeli composer Aviya Kopelman’s “Neon Lights,” which pays homage to the iridescent glow that draws people into jazz clubs. Likewise, Australia’s Tansy Davies’ “Neon” evokes the buzz of nocturnal urban rhythm. Daniel Kidane’s “Winged” and David Lang’s “learn to fly” evoke the zero-gravity thrill of spiraling in midair. For the finale, Present Music interprets Black American jazz composer Henry Threadgill’s sweeping “Old Locks and Irregular Verbs” in a new version for large ensemble. The concert features Present Music’s core musicians plus electric guitarist Derek Johnson, saxophonist Nicki Roman, pianist John Orfe, violinist Jeanyi Kim and bassist Christian Dillingham.
The 2021-2022 season will mark the 40th anniversary of Present Music. “We’ll be expanding to six main concerts (all live, with streaming opportunities,” Segnitz says. “Every concert will feature a world premiere commission from an exciting composer who will be in residence, working in the community. And we will do some of the greatest repertoire from the past, as we celebrate the incredible legacy of [Present Music founder] Kevin Stalheim, and all those who have helped to make Milwaukee a hub for new music.”
Bloom had some additional thoughts. “Ira Glass gave some very poignant perspective saying the number of lives lost to COVID in the U.S. now is roughly equal to Milwaukee’s population,” he said. “We’ve seen our centers of commerce, art, sports and community emptied for many months now, but to imagine every window and every room of every home empty is completely unfathomable. We’ve all experienced some form of this loss in the last year, so in a real way it doesn't bear repeating at this moment. Instead, we hope this show in part offers us a moment of contemplation on the enduring wonders of this phenomenon we all share—life.”
The concert begins at 7:30 p.m., June 11. Ticketholders and subscribers will be invited to an interactive online event where they can talk to artists, composers and Present Music’s co-artistic directors before and after screening the concert performance. For more information, visit presentmusic.org.
