the title pulled me in, but the music kept me... well done

Adoration

Variations On Reverse Entropy - Roger Zare

We Choose to Go to the Moon-Roger Zare

Ghost Town Triptych (Flex Strings Version)-Roger Zare

Performed by Eighth Blackbird and the U.S. Navy Band, Capt. Kenneth Collins, conductor.

Full performance video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHMabYCLKrI

Eighth Blackbird + US Navy Band, Kenneth Collins, conductor

Vital Sines

ASIMO-Roger Zare

Zare - Breathless

This is a piece that I wrote while pursuing my Master's degree at the University of Illinois in 2021. It is a piece about domestic abuse, including the process of gaslighting and various assaults that a survivor may experience.

... over and over and...

This work for woodwind quintet is my take on the style of so-called minimalist music, focusing on highly repetitive ideas and gradual transformations. Pulmonary Suite is a highly virtuosic work, and its titles reflect the inherent danger of this virtuosity for the performers. The first movement, Asphyxiation, was written in 2004 after I was blown away (pun intended) by the quality of wind players at the Sarasota Music Festival. Premiered at the same festival in 2005, it is breathless and mechanical, with many long lines and stretches of relentlessly repeating notes. It is filled with rhythmic hocketing, with pulsating instruments bouncing around each other rapidly. Resuscitation, also written in 2004, is a slow and very drawn out movement with long and often fairly static lines. The focus is on the rhythms and the colors of the ensemble, with harmonies that very slowly morph from one realm to another. The central portion of the movement is an extended rhythmic canon. The final movement, Hyperventilation, was written in 2012 and is a tour-de-force. Opening with a flutter-tonguing flute gesture, the music bursts into a panicked frenzy, taking the rhythmic hocketing from the first movement to its limit. Repeated-note figures are also back with a vengeance and the music frantically builds in momentum through the very last bar.

I. Asphyxiation, performed by Sandy Hughes, flute; Natasha Merchant, oboe; Benjamin Fox, clarinet; Kyle Wilbert, horn; and Dustin Seay, bassoon at the Sarasota Music Festival, June 11, 2005
II. Resuscitation, performed by the Santa Monica Symphony Wind Quintet on March 5, 2006
III. Hyperventilation, performed by Ryan Reynolds and students at the University of Michigan on December 8, 2012

Pulmonary Suite - 2. Resuscitation

Miranda Schreiber's composition "Guitar Quartet No. 1" received its world premiere by Miguel Lumbao, Jackson Miller, Matthew Kwon, and Angelo Favis on October 26th, 2020 at Illinois State University.

Program Notes:

Most of the pieces that I compose are absolute; they exist just for the beauty of music itself and the natural emotions that it brings to each individual. However, I sometimes develop a programmatic interpretation of my own compositions as I gain a deeper understanding of them. Guitar Quartet No. 1 is one of these pieces.


I believe that music is like a person. A melody is like a person's voice - it has words and intonation, as well as a unique timbre in every person or instrument. Music's body language is expressed through rhythm, while music's emotions and facial expressions are predominantly expressed through the harmony. All of this is what makes music so humanistic.


The chill groove at the beginning of the piece represents our daily lives, as we often let our bodies go through the usual routine of everyday life. The main theme is presented shortly thereafter, representing our voice. The canon takes this voice and envelops us in it, making us feel lost in our own thoughts. Our inner thoughts are interrupted when a new texture arrives with harmonic development, making us take the time to meditate or pray. We take this moment to rest and reflect on life. It is towards the end of the piece that we celebrate the realization that there is something greater than ourselves which allows us to live life as intended.

Guitar Quartet No. 1

Ghost Town Triptych-Full Suite: Roger Zare

Music by composer Roger Zare. Check out more by visiting http://www.rogerzare.com

Pulmonary Suite - 2. Resuscitation

Roger Zare

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