Portrait and a Dream (2021), an opera about Jackson Pollock
by Brian Petuch

Commissioned and premiered by Contemporaneous, conducted by David Bloom.

Lee Krasner - Kendra Berentsen
Jackson Pollock - Brian Giebler
Hans Hofmann, Hans Namuth - Ricardo Rivera

_________________________________________________________

Directed by Ashley Tata
Design by Magnus Pind
Lighting by Abigail Hoke-Brady
Costumes by Marion Talan

Portrait and a Dream - Arias

Sunrise/Sunset is a series of compositions that share a similar structure and can be interpreted in many ways. What they have in common is that they consist of two sections, a large crescendo followed by a large diminuendo.

Sunrise/Sunset Series

Portrait and a Dream (2021), an opera about Jackson Pollock
by Brian Petuch

Commissioned and premiered by Contemporaneous, conducted by David Bloom.

Lee Krasner - Kendra Berentsen
Jackson Pollock - Brian Giebler 
Hans Hofmann, Hans Namuth - Ricardo Rivera

_________________________________________________________

Directed by Ashley Tata
Design by Magnus Pind
Lighting by Abigail Hoke-Brady
Costumes by Marion Talan

Mural - from Portrait and a Dream (w/ soprano Kendra Berentsen)

The Deep - from Portrait and a Dream (w/ tenor Brian Giebler)

Pioneers! O Pioneers! - from Portrait and a Dream (w/ baritone Ricardo Rivera)

Ocean Greyness / Prophecy  - from Portrait and a Dream (w/ soprano Kendra Berentsen)

To a Violent Grave - from Portrait and a Dream

"Frames" is written for 7 violins, 2 violas, and 3 percussionists. It was written for Bang on a Can's 2014 Summer institute at Mass MoCA. 

Performers

Violin: Maya Bennardo, Lauren Cauley, Sarah Goldfeather, Kaitlin Moreno, Min Park, Adrianne Pope, Lili Sarayrah

Viola: Kallie Ciechomski, Alexina Hawkins

Percussion: Mckenzie Camp (Vibes), Jay Sager, Chris Sies (Glock)

conducted by Todd Reynolds


Watch a video of this performance here
http://youtu.be/DG1D5r0Fpqs

Frames - for strings and percussion

Sunrise/Sunset No. 1 live at MASS MoCA on 7/24/2014.


This performance was part of Bang on a Can's 2014 Summer music festival.

Sunrise/Sunset No. 1 - Live @ MASS MoCA

Written by Brian Petuch
Commissioned and Performed by Bearthoven

Bearthoven is
Karl Larson - Piano
Pat Swoboda - Bass
Matt Evans - Percussion
http://www.bearthoven.com/

Brian Petuch's Website
www.brianpetuch.com

Updog

Composed by Brian Petuch
Performed by andPlay
Sound Engineering by William Gardiner

A note by the composer:
The Pequod is the whaling ship in Moby Dick. I read Moby Dick last summer for the first time while on the coast of Oregon. The immensity of the dark Pacific coast only made the book more real to me. While reading I contemplated the scope of the Pequod’s journey on the vast sea and the scope of Captain Ahab's futile quest to conquer the white whale, which led to the Pequod's inevitable demise. It was both beautiful and terrifying and this piece tries to capture the spirit of the novel. I use the electronics and strings in a way that at times are abrasive and grating in order to feel the immense weight of an unforgiving and impartial world, and other times the music emerges with moments of light simplicity out of the darker more sonically oppressive moments.

andPlay is
Maya Bennardo - Violin
Hannah Levinson - Viola
http://andplayduo.com/


Brian Petuch's Website
www.brianpetuch.com


EDIT: This studio recording is a replacement of the live recording at Cloud City in Brooklyn NY 2/17/16

The Pequod - for Violin, Viola, & Electronics

Live at the Bruno Walter Auditorium at Lincoln Center 10/22/16

Flute - Catherine Gregory 
Harp - Mélanie Genin

The Pequod - for Harp & Flute (LIVE)

Sunrise/Sunset no. 2 is the follow-up to the original Sunrise/Sunset. This second installment in this series offers a very basic structure to be interpreted in a studio setting. The work introduces microtones that would be impractical to be executed in a live performance. This particular interpretation was produced by the composer in collaboration with engineer Matt Baltrucki.


Soprano - Schauntice Marshall
Horn - Brian Petuch
Tuba - Carl Weir
Piano - Jennifer Nulsen
Cello - Neal Humphreys


Image - Mitch Paster

Sunrise/Sunset No. 2

for Flute, Bass Clarinet, Violin, Cello, and Piano

     The title of the piece is taken from the title of "Sea Calm" by Langston Hughes.



How still,
How strangely still
The water is today,
It is not good
For water
To be so still that way.

Sea Calm

Composer of opera, orchestral music, electroacoustic music, and sound installations. 

Contact: bpetuch@gmail.com

Brian Petuch

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