Bed Head (2014)
Hourglass Daydream (2014)
Puddle Jump (2013)
Bad Strategy (2011)
Creep (2011)
Fresh Press (2006 rev 2011)
Get Got (2010)
Path (2007)
Vertical (2005 rev 2011)
written for OTHER LIFE FORMS (2005-2014)
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Monthly Archives: April 2014
MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY REPORT (2002)
For full orchestra, 10 min. Commissioned by the BMI Foundation/Carlos Surinach Fund for David Alan Miller and the Albany Symphony Orchestra; Premiere: March 14, 2003 at the Troy Savings Bank Hall, Troy, NY, by the Albany Symphony Orchestra, conducted by David Alan Miller. Additional performance by New England Philharmonic, Richard Pittman, conductor, 2004.
LAST WASH (2010/2014)
fl, ob, b. cl, hn, tp, tbn, 2 perc, piano, vn, va, vc, cb; 5 1/2 min.
Premiere: May 6, 2014, by the Orchestra of the League of Composers at Merkin Hall, NYC
THE QUIET (2013)
text: Timothy Schirmer; for voice and piano, 4 min.
RACKET (2014)
fl, ob, cl, hn, tp, tbn, 2 perc, piano, vn, va, vc, cb; 5 1/2min.
Premiere: May 6, 2014, by the Orchestra of the League of Composers at Merkin Hall, NYC
SAN FRANCISCO SONGS (1998-2000)
words by Jane Barnes; for tenor and full orchestra, 25 min. (unperformed)
MINI SONATA (2007/2010)
6 min. recorded February 2012 by Gordon Beeferman.
THERE ARE PEOPLE (2013)
text: Laurie Stone; for baritone, trumpet, bass clarinet, and trombone. 5 min.
premiere: loadbang ensemble, Tenri Cultural Center, NYC, April 2013
ROBERT (2013)
text: Laurie Stone. for bass voice and piano. 5 minutes. Premiere: Joe Chappel, bass; Gordon Beeferman, piano; AIDS Quilt Songbook, William Way LGBT Center, Philadelphia, May 11, 2013.
FOR ONCE, THEN, SOMETHING (2007)
live piano with recorded electronics, 20 minutes. Written for Anita Cheng Dance; premiere May 31, June 1-2, 2007 by Gordon Beeferman, piano, Mulberry Street Theater, New York, NY.
PETAL (2007)
solo bass, 5 minutes. Commissioned and premiered by James Ilgenfritz.
SYMPHONY #1 (1996-97)
for full orchestra, 25 min. Third movement (La Aurora, 15 min.) premiered by the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, Orchestra Hall, Chicago, conducted by Cliff Colnot, April 11, 1999; additional performance by Young Musicians Foundation Debut Orchestra, Los Angeles, June 1999. First and second movements presented in a public reading by the Minnesota Orchestra, at Orchestra Hall, Minneapolis, conducted by Giancarlo Guerrero, March 2002.
CITY SHORE (2003)
written for Anita Cheng Dance; Premiere January 9-10-11, 2003, at the Merce Cunningham Studio, New York, by Gordon Beeferman, piano. 11 min.
WEST OF WINTER (2004)
Score for 4 soprano voices, 15 min. Written for Anita Cheng Dance; premiere January 13,14,15,16, 2005 at the Joyce SoHo, New York, Lisa Bielawa, soprano.
HABITATS (2011)
flute, viola, trombone, percussion, 25 minutes. Commissioned by the American Music Center Live Music for Dance program for choreographer Anita Cheng. Premiere April 28-May 1, 2011, Abrons Arts Center, New York, by Jen Baker, Stephanie Griffin, Margaret Lancaster, David Shively.
Shorter version for nine instruments (flute, oboe, bassoon, trumpet, horn, percussion, violin, viola, cello, bass). 10 minutes. Premiered by International Contemporary Ensemble, April 2012, at New York University.
RITES OF SUMMER (2007) 25 min.
flute/picc, clarinet, violin, cello, piano, percussion, duration 25 minutes. Commissioned by Eleanor Eisenmenger/20th Century Unlimited. Premiere May 14, 2008 by the California EAR Unit at REDCAT/Disney Hall, Los Angeles.
BRASS QUINTET (2007)
C Tpt., Bb Tpt., Horn, Ten. Trb, Bass Trb., 15 minutes. Commissioned by the American Brass Quintet with funds from the Jerome Foundation. 15 min. Premiere July 23, 2008 at the Aspen Music Festival; additional performance at Juilliard School, November 2008.
PASSAGES (2006)
For recorder quartet,14 minutes. Commissioned by Concert Artists Guild for Quartet New Generation recorder collective. Premiere: February 8, 2007 at the Symphony Space Thalia, NYC. Numerous additional international performances by Quartet New Generation.
CD available here.
STRING QUARTET (2006)
In two movements, 16 minutes. Premiered at the Deer Valley Chamber Music Festival, Park City, Utah, August 5, 2006 by the California Quartet. NYC premiere by the Momenta Quartet, November 9, 2009 at Serial Underground at Cornelia Street Café; additional performance by Momenta at Roulette, December 2010.
BURNT SIENNA (2006)
solo bassoon, 4 minutes. Commissioned by the Albany Symphony. Premiere: March 4, 2007, Albany NY. Version for bass clarinet premiered by Amy Advocat, October 12, 2010, New England Conservatory, Boston. Version for baritone saxophone premiered by Josh Sinton, Anti-Social Music Drinks Alone at Douglass Street Music Collective, May 9, 2013.
TRANSPARENT PATHS (2005)
flute/picc/alto, e.gtr, cello and perc., 21 minutes; written for choreographer Estelle Woodward; premiere: October 21-22, 2005 at the Chocolate Factory, Long Island City, NY
RELIQUARY (2005)
For flute/piccolo, clarinet/bass clarinet, violin/viola, cello, percussion, and piano; 23 min. Commissioned by the Fromm Foundation for Music. Premiere by eighth blackbird: October 28, 2006 at the Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art.
PIANO QUARTET (1998)
for piano, violin, viola, and cello, 8 min. Commissioned by the New York Youth Symphony; Premiered April 7, 1999 by members of the New York Youth Symphony at Weill Recital Hall, New York City.
THE IN-BETWEEN – NINE POEMS OF JANE BARNES (2010)
mezzo-soprano and piano, 20 minutes. Commissioned by the Keighton Fund at Curry College. Premiere November 7, 2010, Milton, Mass, Lois Shapiro, piano, Sarah Pelletier, mezzo-soprano.
written for MUSIC FOR AN IMAGINARY BAND (2009-2010)
trumpet, alto sax, tenor/soprano sax, baritone sax/bass clarinet, piano, bass, and drums/percussion; full concert-length program
Circus
Deep Six
Ex Communication
Far Interlude
Lady Shade
Last Wash
No Meat
POP-POP-POP-POP
Southern Spheres
Vicious Cycle
THE RAT LAND (2003-08)
A chamber opera in four scenes plus a prologue, interlude and epilogue, 2 hours
Libretto by Charlotte Jackson
Instrumentation: flute/picc, Eb/Bb clar, Bass/Contrabass Clar, Alto/Bari Sax; Horn, Trombone; Percussion; Piano; Accordion; Violin, Viola, Cello, Double Bass
Cast: soprano (2), mezzo-soprano, countertenor/alto, tenor (2), baritone, bass-baritone
Stage premiere: The Industry, Los Angeles, 2014-15 season
Premiere of Prologue and Scene 1 on April 1, 2006 at the Improvised and Otherwise Festival in Brooklyn, NY, by Anti-Social Music and soloists. Concert performance of Prologue and Scene 1 by the New York City Opera / VOX 2007 Showcase, May 12, 2007; Scene two premiered at New York City Opera VOX 2009.
Laurie Rubin as Karen
Martha Sullivan as Louise, Michael Douglas Jones as Theodore
PHENOMENA (2000-2002)
commissioned by Jack and Linda Hoeschler for Concert Artists Guild, with additional support from Premiere Commission, Inc. Premiere October 6, 2005 by Winston Choi, piano at Symphony Space Thalia, New York. 37 min.
SONATA BOMBASTICA (1996)
for violin and piano, 9 min; Premiered by the composer at the piano and violinist Gabe Bolkosky at the University of Michigan, February 10, 1997
SESAME STREET VARIATIONS (1998)
based on themes from the television series “Sesame Street”; premiered by Gordon Beeferman at the University of Michigan, April 26, 1998. 14 min.
SAN FRANCISCO SONGS (1998-2000)
tenor and piano, 25 min. words by Jane Barnes. Premiered March 10, 2001 at the Greenwich House Music School, New York City, by Tony Boutte, tenor, and Gordon Beeferman, piano. Also version for full orchestra (unperformed).
ANONYMOUS LYRICS (1994)
soprano and piano, 5 min., settings of anonymous ancient Greek texts translated by Richmond Lattimore. Premiere: Jane Schoonmaker-Rodgers, soprano; Kevin Bylsma, piano.
THREE NIGHT MOODS (1995-96)
for two harps and two percussion, 18 min; Premiered April 14, 1997 at the University of Michigan
BE SILENT (1993)
for violin and piano, 7 min.
THE BALLAD OF BODY DYSMORPHIA (2013)
text: Charlotte Jackson; for baritone, trumpet, bass clarinet, and trombone. 4 min.
premiere: loadbang ensemble, Tenri Cultural Center, NYC, April 2013
NOW NO ONE WILL LISTEN TO SONGS (1995)
for bass-baritone, B-flat clarinet, violin, cello, and piano; settings of Russian texts by Akhmatova, Bobyshev, Lermontov, and Mandelstam; First complete performance by Collage New Music with bass-baritone David Ripley, at the C. Walsh Theater in Boston, Mass., March 31, 1996. 18 min.
OTHER LIFE FORMS
OTHER LIFE FORMS
Wednesday, May 14, 2014, 7pm
Gordon Beeferman (piano/organ, compositions)
with Stephanie Griffin (viola), Pascal Niggenkemper (bass), Andrew Drury (drums)
ShapeShifter Lab
18 Whitwell Place, Brooklyn (R to Union St.)
www.shapeshifterlab.com/
Other Life Forms
ROGUE STATES
Jeff Arnal (percussion) and Gordon Beeferman (piano) synthesize avant-garde jazz/improv and contemporary classical traditions of the 20th century into a unique “energized ritual of free expression…music with muscle and appeal” (Cadence Magazine). For more information, visit Generate Records, or click here.
“A collection of concise yet substantial duo improvisations that demonstrate substantial power and an impressive range of expression.” -Time Out New York
Jeff Arnal (percussion) and Gordon Beeferman (piano) synthesize avant-garde jazz/improv and contemporary classical traditions into a unique “energized ritual of free expression…music with muscle and appeal” (Cadence Magazine). Since forming their duo in 2000, Arnal and Beeferman have become an integral part of the creative music scene in New York and beyond. Their duo has performed at the Knitting Factory, Music at the Anthology, Improvised and Otherwise (Brooklyn), San Francisco Alternative Music Festival, Philadelphia Fringe Festival, the Tremont Theater and Zeitgeist Gallery (Boston/Cambridge), and other venues for experimental and improvised music. Their first recording Bodies of Water (2001) was praised for its “near-perfect synchronicity… these two have talent to burn” (All Music Guide). In addition to working as a duet, they have collaborated with many other musicians and dancers, including choreographer Estelle Woodward (in the dance/music ensemble Loophole) and saxophonist Seth Misterka (as Rara Avis).
THE GREEK GAZE (1998)
“mini-opera” for 3 women, 2 men, electric guitar, electric bass, and drums. Premiered by members of the ensemble “Caterwaul” at the University of Michigan, March 27, 1998; 4 min.
SAFE, THIS DANGEROUS NIGHT (2000)
solo guitar, 9 min.; Commissioned by guitarist David Leisner; Premiered November 29, 2000 by David Leisner at Jordan Hall, Boston.
RARA AVIS
The debut album of RARA AVIS, a trio joining the fiery and focused talents of Gordon Beeferman, Jeff Arnal, and Seth Misterka. A highly structured but entirely improvised tour de force for electric piano, percussion, and saxophones, the recording traverses a rich musical territory from fierce and highly rhythmic complexity to evocative long-lined lyricism. For more information, visit Generate Records.
BODIES OF WATER
Expressive and virtuosic, the music of New York composer-improvisers Jeff Arnal (percussion) and Gordon Beeferman (piano) springs from avant-garde traditions, both classical and jazz. Their work is a synthesis of the highly defined compositional elements of contemporary classical music and the spontaneity and energy of free-improvisation. “Bodies of Water”, their debut recording, was released in November, 2001 on Generate Records.