Full title: "Waft: piano prelude in the form of a double bass in the rain for airports" is an homage to Chopin, Satie and Eno and is a musical dialogue with Chopin's Piano Preludes, Satie's musical sense of play (Three Pieces in the Form of a Pear etc.) and Brian Eno's Music for Airports as well as his other ambient music. Waft is constructed from the available natural overtones playable on the double bass - indeed a version composed for solo double-bass was premiered in NYC at Merkin Concert Hall in the winter of 2005 by renowned bassist Robert Black on the same concert series - The Hartford Commissions - as was this piano version. Both versions were composed while I was in residence at the Artists' Enclave at I-Park in the fall of 2004.

This recording, by Canadian pianist Megumi Masaki, was captured during a rain storm in 5.1 in Millard Auditorium at The Hartt School, University of Hartford in June 2019. We placed some mics near a noisy drainpipe near the fly tower and grid.  It was subsequently edited mixed, with some additional electronic sustain extension/manipulation, in 5.1 and stereo in Studio Alpha at Visby International Centre for Composers (VICC) in Gotland, Sweden in Sept. of 2019.

Waft

The soundtrack for this piece was constructed from recordings and manipulations of sounds and noises that cars make. It was composed in a whimsical mood to diffuse my otherwise utter frustration with the ways in which stunted civility is played out on the streets and highways of America. It was commissioned and performed by composer/pianist John McDonald.

Driving Me Crazy

The condition or period preceding an irresistible impulse to perform some irrational act, be it ritualistic or otherwise.

Third movement from: Invisible Familiars (1993)  

This is part of a series of works which have been,  in one way or another, inspired by the writings of the noted mythologist Joseph Campbell. From my first chance introduction to this man and his work when I walked into a quiet room late at night with the TV on, and through the myriad of  books of his that I’ve subsequently read, I have been continually struck by an overwhelming sense of a spiritual presence, an elusive invisible presence that has permeated human history and that manifests itself, makes itself known through the unfolding of humanity, regardless of geography or temporal location in awe inspiring and innumerable ways. Mr. Campbell’s comparative mythological insights have brought clarity to the nature of this presence by pointing toward it, by implication,  yet it remains elusive...

Twilight Compulsion

1)in Greek mythology, a fire-breathing monster, represented as having a lion’s head, a goat’s body, and a serpent’s tail.
2)any similar fabulous monster.
3) an impossible or foolish fancy [indulging in unrealistic fancies; visionary].

First movement from: Invisible Familiars (1993)  

This is part of a series of works which have been,  in one way or another, inspired by the writings of the noted mythologist Joseph Campbell. From my first chance introduction to this man and his work when I walked into a quiet room late at night with the TV on, and through the myriad of  books of his that I’ve subsequently read, I have been continually struck by an overwhelming sense of a spiritual presence, an elusive invisible presence that has permeated human history and that manifests itself, makes itself known through the unfolding of humanity, regardless of geography or temporal location in awe inspiring and innumerable ways. Mr. Campbell’s comparative mythological insights have brought clarity to the nature of this presence by pointing toward it, by implication,  yet it remains elusive...

Chimaera

In the language of the pygmies of the Andaman Islands (a group of islands in the Bay of Bengal, southwest of Burma), the word oko - jumu (“one who speaks from dreams”) designates those highly respected individuals who are distinguished from their fellows by the possession of supernatural talents, which can be acquired only by meeting with the spirits —directly in the jungle, through extraordinary dream, or by death and return.

The adventure is always and everywhere a passage beyond the veil of the known into the unknown;  the powers that watch at the boundary are dangerous;  to deal with them is risky;  yet for anyone with competence and courage the danger fades.

Second movement rom: Invisible Familiars (1993)  

This is part of a series of works which have been,  in one way or another, inspired by the writings of the noted mythologist Joseph Campbell. From my first chance introduction to this man and his work when I walked into a quiet room late at night with the TV on, and through the myriad of  books of his that I’ve subsequently read, I have been continually struck by an overwhelming sense of a spiritual presence, an elusive invisible presence that has permeated human history and that manifests itself, makes itself known through the unfolding of humanity, regardless of geography or temporal location in awe inspiring and innumerable ways. Mr. Campbell’s comparative mythological insights have brought clarity to the nature of this presence by pointing toward it, by implication,  yet it remains elusive...

Oko-Jumu

For soprano with clarinet, violin and cello. Text by Denise Levertov.

Performed by:
Cinzia Genderian, soprano
And the Italian Modern Namaste Ensemble,
Orpheus Festival, Antwerpen, Belgium

“Eye Mask” By Denise Levertov, from EVENING TRAIN, copyright © 1992 by Denise Levertov. Used by permission of New Directions Publishing Corporation

Eye Mask - from Each to Each

For soprano with clarinet and violin. Text by Denise Levertov.

Performed by: 
Francka Šenk, soprano
Andrej Zupan, clarinet, Žiga Brank, violin; 

Ljubljana Conservatory of Music and Dance, Slovenia, 10.12.12

“The Absence” By Denise Levertov, from COLLECTED EARLIER POEMS, copyright © 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1979 by Denise Levertov. Used by permission of New Directions Publishing Corporation

The Absence - from Each to Each

For Soprano with clarinet, violin, cello and piano.

Cherie Caluda, soprano, Hartt Contemporary Players.

“Leaving Forever” By Denise Levertov, from POEMS 1960-1967, copyright © 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1966 by Denise Levertov. “With Eyes at the Back of Our Heads”, By Denise Levertov, from COLLECTED EARLIER POEMS, copyright © 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1979 by Denise Levertov. Used by permission of New Directions Publishing Corporation

Leaving Forever - from Each to Each

Laptop Trio
A piece composed in honor of trumpeter Roger Murtha on the occasion of his retirement from The Hartt School faculty in 2009.

It was composed from a recording of Roger performing the Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 with the Hartt Orchestra in 1980. It was of interest to me to have this piece represent the notion of circles, or time cycles, in the way that this performance from 30 years ago resonated in my memory.

It is a meditation on the passage of time and the tendency for events to repeat in cycles, and is also informed by the follow text:

"The Circle has healing power.
In the Circle, we are all equal.
When in the Circle, no one is in front of you.
No one is behind you.
No one is above you.
No one is below you.
The Sacred Circle is designed to create unity." 
					— Dave Chief, Oglala Lakota

Ken Steen / Audio CD

Grandfather Dreams in Circles Unfolding

Original source material is a 1 minute piece for solo Bass Clarinet (track above)composed for noted Italian clarinetist Guido Arbonelli.

This is also a web-based work that invites visitor participation to create new mixes, new pieces, new experiences of the musical/sonic elements provided. It can be found here:

http://www.kensteen.com/ContinuousCitiesInfo.htm

Continuous Cities is informed by Italo Calvino's novel Invisible Cities.

Continuous Cities - laptop duo

Continuous Cities - solo

A piece made from bits and pieces of recordings of electronic cellist Jeffrey Krieger.

This was previously featured as Reliquary of Labor podcast #29.

all wound up

Co-winner of the inaugural Stephen R. Gerber Prize in 2017, from League of Composers ISCM, NYC (from 250+ anonymous submissions), DĔPO FLUX is a concerto grosso for mixed quintet and chamber orchestra. It was commissioned by the Foot in the Door ensemble at the University of Hartford’s Hartt School and conceived as a featured work for the ensemble’s performances at the 2015 Dark Music Days Festival held at Harpa in Reykjavík, Iceland.

The title is derived from terms utilized in aerosol physics: deposition being the process by which aerosol dust particles, whether wet or dry, collect or deposit themselves on solid surfaces, and flux being the flow of a physical property in space.

As a musical construction DĔPO FLUX is a sonic realization of single tones or sounds utilized as if they were dust particles moving through space while coalescing and depositing over time. The work is informed by an intimate transcendental action: poetic release of a handful of ashes from a departed loved one into a natural body of water; watching them swirl and mingle and glide and sparkle, reflecting the radiance of the sun as they disperse in an ecstatic dance of return into the embrace of Mother Earth.

Performed by: The Foot in the Door ensemble, featuring Ása Guðjónsdóttir, violin; Carrie Koffman, alto sax; Rita Porfiris, viola; Christopher Ladd, electric guitar; and Robert Black, double bass & conducted by Glen Adsit. This is a live recording.

DĔPO FLUX

Hartford Independent Chamber Orchestra
Haley Hewitt, lever harp soloist, Daniel D'Addio, cond.

The ladder as a symbol can easily be related to musical scales, moving up and/or down by steps is a most obvious relationship. In this movement the musical scales open up from low to high, transforming along the way. The music, particularly in the Harp, climbs ever higher.

Other references found in Irish history include Jacob’s Ladder, the Benedictine Ladder of Humility, and the ancient Irish alphabet known as Ogham (pronounced like OH-yam). It is an Early Medieval alphabet that is mostly comprised of lines and strokes along a horizontal or vertical line, similar in appearance to runes used by the early Germanic peoples. When carved vertically this form of Ogham is also known as ladder Ogham.

Ladder - from BEACON: a concerto for lever harp, electronics and chamber orchestra

Metastāsis for orchestra (rev. 1992) was originally commissioned by conductor Neil Gittleman in 1981 for the Holyoke College/Civic Orchestra in Holyoke, MA. The title is informed by archaic combined Late Latin and Greek definitions meaning “transition”, “migration”; here used in a spiritual, metaphysical/speculative sense that that work, or focus in the physical realm can enable or foster activity in the higher planes of the spiritual, invisible realms.

Metastāsis is a mono-chromatic work based on the seven tones of the G major scale. As the work unfolds these seven tones undergo various degrees of development using the diatonic modes associated with each: Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian and Locrian. 

Establishing this as a strict harmonic and melodic limitation, it is primarily through timbral combination and evolution, transition and migration of these seven tones into their various modal forms, that the basic musical material is exposed and developed. Texture also plays a very important role in the unfolding of the work. Beginning with non-pitched glass wind-chimes, proceeding through pointillistic iterations and melodic fragments and on to much broader strokes of melodic and harmonic color, Metastāsis can be thought of as a kind of impressionistic tone poem.

Music From Six Continents - 1993 Series (2)

Metastāsis

Stationary Front (stalled : dissipating) for violin and piano is informed by a specific type of weather pattern. A wide variety of weather can be found along this type of front, but it is usually characterized by clouds and prolonged precipitation. Stationary fronts are marked on weather maps with alternating red half-circles and blue spikes pointing in opposite directions, indicating no significant movement. A stationary front either stalls and dissipates after several days or devolves into what is known as a shear line, a meteorological process whereby a stationary front degenerates into a narrow zone where wind direction changes significantly, and sometimes violently, over a relatively short distance.

Performed by: Janet Jacobson violin, and Erberk Eryilmaz, piano

Stationary Front

While gravity reconsidered could be thought of as a concerto for piano with laptop and orchestra - the piano is after all, the featured instrument and the part bears many of the technical hallmarks of a concerto-like structure - I tend to think of it more as a fantasia, or more simply, a sonata; quite literally a sound piece. 

The piano part is not simply the featured soloist, it is the primary source of the underlying structure and materials of the entire work. The piano and the ensemble navigate among a variety of gravitational relationships from the micro to macro levels:

Individual tones, chords, harmonic fields and textures are pulled into sonic relationships between the piano and other instruments as if by gravitational forces such as undertow, orbital cycles, attraction, repulsion or gravity-assist manoeuvres that result in explosive collisions in the one extreme, or propulsion into “micro-gravity” (1x10-6 g) in the other.

The work presents a sonic balance thru gravitational attraction, repulsion and comingling among acoustic and electronic sonorities, as well as between strictly notated and more freely improvised textures. These also pull and tug at each other while creating a wide variety of orbit-like sonic modulations.

The use of the laptop, amplification and multi-channel sound system as an extension of the piano allows for the manipulation of sustain and resonance of which the piano is otherwise acoustically incapable. It allows the sound to permeate the venue and envelop the audience in a sonically immersive concert experience. Where sounds come from and how they combine, how they attract and repel each other in space, are as important as when they are initiated.

Hartt Symphony Orchestra, Edward Cumming, cond., Mohammed Shams, piano soloist.

gravity reconsidered

birddog: 

A mythological celestial entity as a companion and guardian of the old sun descending from the sky into the western horizon on its journey through the underworld and ascent into the sky at the eastern horizon.

There is a single melodic thread from which the entirety of birddog was composed. It appears in many different guises as it proceeds through its evolution as both a melodic and harmonic generating force. The work unfolds as a kind of chase. A chase which for the most part is forward looking and highly focused. Yet, at other times (while no less focused) might best be described as a dog playfully chasing its tail.

birddog is one in a series of works for various media primarily inspired by the writings of mythologist Joseph Campbell.

Performed by: The California EAR Unit

birddog

In this time, and in this place was originally commissioned and performed for the 40th anniversary of Promisek at Three Rivers Farm in Bridgewater, CT, in hope that the land that they steward will forever remain a unique cultural and environmental preserve, to benefit future generations, the town of Bridgewater, CT and its residents, and to succeed as a model for how we can all creatively assume responsibility for the integrity of the earth.

This version, was recorded and edited for choreographer Katie Stevinson-Nollet's piece: Boundary. The music, calling out from 2 sides of a great divide.

Composed at Elektronmusikstudion EMS in Stockholm, Sweden, and Arteles Creative Center, Haukijärvi, Finland, through generous composer-in-residence invitations during June & July 2018.

Estefan Perez, cello
Cody Bigenho, and Hyeyung Yoon, violins

Recording engineer: Gabe Herman
Session assistants: Carl Bespolka, Chris Vilano
Edited and mixed: by the composer.

In this time, and in this place

still life: from rings and rabbits
(2012)

This work is informed by the unlikely juxtapositions from the traditions of still life painting, English change ringing patterns, the Fibonacci series (and its investigation and elucidation through Fibonacci's "rabbit puzzle"), the Golden Section, and references and interpretations of alchemical procedures as a kind of historical counterpart to C. G. Jung's psychology of the unconscious; the process of individuation.

Commissioned, performed and recorded by: Ensemble 4Saxess
Premiered at Cêljski dóm in Celje, Slovenia on 10.09.12

Ken Steen

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