For solo piano. Performed by Catherine Likhuta.

Rondo (2001)

A recording of the premiere at Cornell University (Adam Unsworth, horn; Timothy Ball, violin; Catherine Likhuta, piano)


Out of the Woods (2011), toccata for horn trio

Hard to Argue (2014), concertino for horn choir
Performers: Adam Unsworth with QSO Horns. 

Hard to Argue (2014), concertino for five horns

One of my earlier pieces, this sonata combines some Ukrainian folk influences (unintentional), pentatonic scale (intentional), and jazz elements. Pentatonic scale-based melody sounds surprisingly 'at home' in the Ukrainian folk/jazz-influenced setting. On this recording, I am performing it with my great friend Tim Ball.

Sonata for violin and piano (2003)

Live recording from Queensland Conservatorium, March 4th 2015. Emma Di Marco, alto saxophone; Catherine Likhuta, piano

Program notes: 
Under the Blue was inspired by Claire Nouvian’s book The Deep. This book talks about, and contains photos of, creatures living at the deepest corners of the sea not reachable by sunlight. At that depth, the water looks very different from any water we are used to seeing: it is much darker than the common blue colour we associate with water. That world is altogether frightening, fascinating, and creepy. In the music, I wanted to tell a story of an imaginative journey down to the Deep. At first, as you just dive in, the surroundings look beautiful and harmless, somewhat melancholic. But as you start submerging towards the bottom, it gradually becomes a world full of creatures you have never thought existed. You cannot obey the desire to go back immediately since you want to see this odd world that awakens the widest spectrum of emotions. It scares you to death but also strangely captivates you. When you can’t take it anymore, you resurface. Everything seems back to normal again: the same calm blue water, the same familiar surroundings. But the experience of what you’ve seen under the blue has slightly changed your perception of things…


Under the Blue (2015)

Live recording from Queensland Conservatorium, March 4th 2015. Emma Di Marco, alto saxophone; Catherine Likhuta, piano
The performance of the 2019 concerto version for alto saxophone soloist and wind band is available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocyER3fs6jk

Let the Darkness Out (2011), sonata for saxophone and piano

Live recording from Queensland Conservatorium, March 4th 2015. Brijette Tub, flute; Emma Di Marco, alto saxophone; Catherine Likhuta, piano
Program notes: Why "Me Disagrees"? My intention was to write a piece that would depict an argument that is not overly aggressive. Instead, it is to be playfully competitive, even somewhat humorous at times. ‘I Disagree’ is a strong statement, which wouldn’t reflect the lighthearted spirit of the original idea. So I decided to make it sound like something a naughty child might say to defy authority: ‘Me Disagrees! End of story.’

Me Disagrees (2010)

A live recording of the Australian premiere by the Queensland Conservatorium Wind Orchestra, with Peter Morris conducting
26 September 2015, Brisbane

Me Disagrees for Wind Symphony

Live recording from the Sydney premiere of Secrets of Water by HD Duo (Michael Duke, alto saxophone; David Howie, piano)

Secrets of Water (2015), for alto saxophone and piano

Studio recording by Barega Saxophone Quartet (Brisbane, Australia)

Hard To Argue (2015) for saxophone quartet

In this episode you’ll hear from Professor Vasili Byros from Northwestern University about his experience as a period composer. Vasili talks about his 18th century musical diet and how the compositional process of composers like Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven was related to jazz and pop music of today more than you may think!

Music for this episode was from Vasili's compositions:

"Fuga in B Minor" vimeo.com/85967917

"Prelude in D Minor" www.mtosmt.org/issues/mto.15.21.…xamples.php?id=32

You can find Vasili's complete bio and more at his website: www.vasilibyros.com

———
Vasili Byros is chair of the department of music studies and coordinator, advanced music theory curriculum (undergraduate) at Northwestern University. Professor Byros researches the compositional and listening practices of the long 18th century as linguistic and cultural pursuits, drawing on frameworks in music theory, history, and cognitive and social psychology, in order to reconstruct “insider” perspectives on music of the period. Byros’ research has dealt with issues of key perception and tonality, interactions between local and large-scale musical grammars, intersections between syntax and semantics, and musical communication (musical wit and humor in Mozart, and spiritual abnegation in Beethoven). 
His work takes a holistic view of the musical languages of the long 18th century, combining viewpoints from schema theory, Formenlehre, topic theory, and historical pedagogies. Along these lines, Professor Byros is currently working on a book project that examines musical creativity in the long eighteenth century from theoretical, analytic, and artistic/practical vantage points. In recent years, Byros has been developing period (or historically informed) approaches to composition, with period compositions of his own, as extensions of his work in historically informed listening, while drawing parallels with historically informed performance. 
He is also coordinator and course-designer of the advanced music theory curriculum at Northwestern, which is based on 18th-century period composition. Additional recent teaching includes upper-level and graduate courses on subjects ranging from classical form and advanced tonal analysis, to seminars on schema theory and historical informed musicking.

Episode 2: Creating Music in Old Styles with Vasili Byros

Rob Yaple