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MPhil Composition Graduate Showcase Review

The Arts and Technology Research Lab (ARTL), is a space used by Trinity College’s creative arts postgrads. On Saturday, May 13th, it hosted the MPhil in Composition Graduate show. The venue holds 60 people, which was just enough room for the crowd that arrived. It was an intimate space, but the tiered seating made it easier to see the musicians, and gave the audience more breathing room. It was the perfect place for a concert like this.  Eleven composers from the course had their works played that evening by various arrangements of the Kirkos ensemble. Kirkos, founded by RIAM students in 2012, focuses their attention on contemporary music. Especially the music of Irish composers. But it wasn’t just Irish composers on show. This year’s TCD MPhil in composition has students from Ireland, of course, but also Korea, Northern Ireland, Brazil, Italy, and the USA.

Kai Chung Fung - Pragmatic First on the programme: Pragmatic by Kai Chung Fung. This piece for flute (Miriam Kaczor) and clarinet (Léonie Bluett) opened with sustained low notes that gradually built up to more complex melodies. The repeated pedal note on the clarinet really set off the acrobatics from the flute. Some trade off between the two might have been nice, but overall the textures were very balanced. The flute harmonics were a nice touch, very effective in the small space of the venue. Bernard Reilly - Tchaik Noodles! The following piece for flute, clarinet, viola (Sebastian Adams) and cello (Yseult Cooper Stockdale) was an homage to Tchaikovsky. Reilley used ideas or “noodles” from the Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture and made them his own. In the composer’s own words the piece was “dragged kicking and screaming from the 19th century.” The whole sound of the piece was rooted in that Romantic sound, especially in the handling of the texture and melodic content. Though I felt the piece could have been pushed a little more towards the 21st century, it perhaps would have lost its charm. There were some wonderful moments of beauty in the melody. Altogether a really enjoyable sound. Lindsey Vincent - Karma Vincent is a student from Nashville, Tennessee and I felt this really came through in the sound of this piece. Not a country vibe, but a more Southern Gothic feel. Vincent coaxed a rougher sound from the flute, viola, and cello, but it was full and well balanced at all times. A strong opening ostinato on the viola lead into the introduction of the melodic motif on the flute. Both these ideas go through a series of different treatments before returning to their original form in the end. There were small breaks in the sound between the different sections that interrupted the flow of the music, but I felt the darker atmosphere of the piece was one of the most engaging of the night. So-Young Yoon - Prelude The composer’s jazz background shines through in this piece for flute, cello, and piano (Máire Carroll). Erupting with energy and strong rhythm, the piece captivated from beginning to end. It had that definite jazz influence in the harmonies and rhythm, but it was just enough to flavour the piece perfectly. I enjoyed the placement of motifs within the texture of the music. An incredibly well crafted piece. Katie Bamford - Effervescence This minimalistic piece for clarinet, cello, and piano centered on the idea of effervescence: “the bubbling, fizzing or foaming of an aqueous solution” These three ideas became the three different sections of the music. The gradual waves of sound at the beginning were beautiful and captivating. As the piece progressed the bubbling rhythms became more apparent, mixing with the melody. ‘Effervescence’ is a unique concept, but one that was effectively communicated through the music. I really enjoyed Bamford’s approach and thought process behind the music and the timbre was exquisite. This was one of my favourites of the night. Gabriel Jaluize - Exchanging Glances Jaluize’s piece for flute, viola, cello, and piano begins with a sweet melodic opening. Gradually the tone darkens, becoming a little harsher and more dissonant. The different layers of the music are all distinctive but create a cohesive texture. To me, this piece felt like a journey. The composer really stretched the boundaries and possibilities of the musical material. In the programme note, Jaluize mentioned the idea of adding electronics, this would certainly open up another world for this material and could lead to some very interesting results. Karl Mulcahy - Allure of Ultimecia Mulcahy is a composer that often reaches into the world of video games, and uses his music to re-create their stories. Allure of Ultimecia for flute (doubling piccolo), viola, cello, and piano draws from the story of Ultimecia, a character from the game Final Fantasy VIII. He doesn’t simply tell the story with the music, instead he used the movements in the scene to influence the movement of the melodic and harmonic structure. The opening lines on the piano lures the listener in, and the answering block of sound from the rest of the ensemble hooks them. It starts of very melancholic, but when the music transitions into the pizzicato section it’s like a sunrise. The music brightens, and the whole mood of the piece changes. The contemplative, melancholic mood then returns to close out the piece. All in all, this is a great piece to listen to while standing on a cliff’s edge, dramatically staring out at the sea. Marco Andrea Pes - To Be Continued This work for flute, clarinet, viola, cello and piano drew heavily from Chopin’s Prelude in E minor (Op. 28, No. 4). Presented initially in the piano, the rest of the ensemble take the material from Chopin and transformed it into something different. In the composer’s own words it was written “in a rush of inspiration and doesn’t expect to reach [its] goal.” The second section of the piece where the strings and winds became more dissonant created a lot of interesting ideas, which didn’t get a chance to take hold of the music. But there is a lot of space for this piece to grow. Síobhra Quinlan - Screech of the Vulpes Screech of the Vulpes is a piece inspired by the cries of foxes from outside the composer’s window. Originally intended for chamber ensemble to include piccolo, flute, alto flute, clarinet, viola, cello, piano, theremin, drum machine and mezzo soprano. On the night of the concert, the piece was presented by a reduced ensemble due to the limited availability of some of the original instruments. Ambitious in process, “players are given a set of recordings of 6 different fox screams and a tape of the 6 screams combined in advance. Imitating these sounds is to be incorporated in the rehearsal process, and then realised in the improvisatory section.” Unfortunately, the music couldn’t communicate this fully. Programme note aside, the music as heard on the night was engaging and interesting. The composer also performed as mezzo for the piece. She also composed the text herself, which I’m always excited to see. Quinlan’s voice created a sense of beauty and a fragility in the music which was brilliantly offset by the harsher sounds in the rest of the ensemble. The cello and viola were able to achieve a thin screeching sound, coupled with airy notes on the flute, this was hauntingly effective. The only real criticism I have of this piece: no screaming. I was promised screaming. I love seeing composers and artists push the capabilities of the performer. There is so much room for the composer to extend the reach of this music. I would love to see this piece realised to its full potential, screaming included. Fingers crossed Quinlan gets her hands on a theremin. Sa-Do Kim - Feast and Dance Feast and Dance takes the rhythms and processes of Korean traditional music and expresses them through a western ensemble. In introducing the piece the composer gave a crash-course in Korean rhythms, and demonstrated them for us. Each section of the piece corresponds to one of those traditional Korean rhythms. This was certainly the loudest piece of the night. Sa-Do Kim to conduct the ensemble, consisting of the Kirkos ensemble with Lindsay Vincent, Bernard Reilly, and Seongsan Lee on additional percussion. The opening of the piece commanded attention (and woke up anyone who might have dozed off). From the beginning the rhythm was the main focus of the music. They were strong, distinct, and created a solid base for the melodic ideas. With so much emphasis on the role of rhythm, the beauty and effectiveness of the melodies were surprising. They floated above, and sometimes interspersed with, the rhythms. It all flowed together to create a really fun and entertaining piece. One of the standouts of the night. Matthew Lalor - John Field in Moscow Lalor was another composer who acted as vocalist. His voice gave the music a wonderfully nostalgic mood. It was soothing, enchanting. This was a transporting piece. I’m not sure where it brought me, but I liked it.

Together, these pieces created an enjoyable evening of music. Each piece brought something new to the night. a different perspective, a different approach to music.  Kirkos is an amazing ensemble. Their appreciation and dedication to contemporary music showed in their execution of each piece, and the time and attention they put into learning all this new music. Concerts like this one serve an integral part of the student composers’ journey. They are opportunities not only for the composers to hear their own works, but also for the audience to see what’s in store for the future of music in Ireland.  The Trinity Composition Department can be found on Facebook and Twitter The Kirkos Ensemble can be found on Facebook

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behind the blog

Hi! I’m Nicole Clevenger: composer, maynooth grad, general procrastinator. This blog hopes to serve as a way to not only make it look like I’m doing something, but that something that I’m doing is good enough for other people to read. I hope to post about my own music, my processes and thoughts, as well as look at the music of other contemporary composers in Ireland. This will result in a mish mash of reviews, interviews, key smashes, youtube videos, and other various combinations of text and/or pictures and/or video and/or/maybe audio (its a music blog.)  If you have a piece or an event you would like reviewed/featured please contact me either here clevenger.tumblr.com/ask, or by email: nicolec.music@gmail.com

Biography Nicole Clevenger (b. 1994) is from Navan, Co. Meath, Ireland. Her love of music began in 2007 when she took up acoustic guitar. Throughout secondary school she became increasingly involved in music. She joined her school’s competitive choir, competing in the Navan and Cork Choral festivals. The choir also progressed to the final of RTE’s All-Island Choir Competition in Clevenger’s final year of school. Alongside this, she also began studying classical guitar, piano, music theory, and composition. In 2012 she commenced her BA in Music in Maynooth University. During her time there she was a member of the Ladies’ Choir, The Maynooth Guitar Ensemble, and the Maynooth Choral Society. As a member of the Elwood Quartet from 2013 - 2014, she has performed arrangements of Joseph Haydn and J.S. Bach, and also contemporary pieces by Martin O’Leary and Radek Łomejko. For the 2014/2015 academic year she studied in Palacky University, Olomouc, Czech Republic, where she studied composition under Vit Zouhar and piano under Marek Keprt. Returning to Maynooth University the following year, she graduated with a first class honours. As a composer, Clevenger’s works have been performed by the Crash Ensemble, Slí Nua, the OAK Duo, Katie O’Flaherty, and herself. She has participated in workshops with Linda Buckley, Ann Cleare, and Liviu Marinescu. She often links text with her music, drawing inspiration from poetry. Voice and speech play an important role in many of her works, including instrumental pieces. Recordings of her work are available for streaming on soundcloud. She firmly believes in encouraging the work of other student and emerging composers. In 2016 she organised a showcase of student composers’ work performed by other students in Maynooth University. Clevenger is also a strong advocate for women in music. Her undergraduate thesis focused on the careers of Ethel Smyth, Elizabeth Maconchy, and Rebecca Clarke. She is interested in the representations of femininity in music, literature, and the media.