Members of The New Juilliard Ensemble: Joel Sachs, conductor; Stephanie Kwak, flute and bass flute; Hassan Anderson, oboe (alumnus); Anton Rist, clarinet and bass clarinet; Brent Foster, bassoon; Joe Betts, French horn; Andrew Funcheon, percussion; Miles Fellenberg, piano; Alex Shiozaki and Robyn Quinett, violins; Meredith Treaster, viola; Paul Dwyer, cello; William McPeters, double bass
Dmitri Yanov-Yanovsky (Uzbekistan, b. 1963)
K. 347b (2008)—World premiere
In creating this work, the Tashkent-based composer paid homage to Mozart by drawing on an unfinished work by the Austrian composer, the perpetual canon K. 347. Yanov-Yanovsky first wrote the piece for nine strings, on commission from the Belgian ensemble Musiques Nouvelles. Summergarden is presenting the premiere of a second version for mixed ensemble.
Henrik Strindberg (Sweden, b. 1954)
One Child (2013)—First performance outside Scandinavia
The title refers to a 2013 speech at the United Nations by Malala Yousafzai, a Pakistani teenager who had campaigned for women’s educational rights and was badly wounded in an assassination attempt by the Taliban. At the UN she said, “One child, one teacher, one book, and one pen can change the world.” Each of Strindberg’s four movements takes up one element of the young woman’s formulation.
Donald Crockett (United States, b. 1951)
to airy thinness beat (2009)—New York premiere
This composition for viola and ensemble takes its title from John Donne’s poem “A Valediction Forbidding Mourning,” in which he compares his parting from his lover to the ability of gold to change form without losing its integrity: “Our two souls therefore / which are one, / Though I must go, endure not yet / A breach, but an expansion / Like gold to airy thinness beat.” The viola soloist will be Meredith Treaster.
Matthew Hindson (Australia, b. 1968)
Septet (2009)—Western Hemisphere premiere
This work was an 80th birthday tribute to Mr. Hindson’s teacher, Peter Sculthorpe. The composer writes that “the Septet takes as its starting point some of the ideas expounded by Sculthorpe in his music, including the influences of both Asian and Australian indigenous musics. Furthermore, the piece makes reference to both the lyrical and visceral approaches found in a variety of his pioneering works.”
The Museum of Modern Art established Summergarden in 1971. In keeping with MoMA’s history of presenting jazz and classical music in the Sculpture Garden, this year’s concert series once again welcomes the participation of The Juilliard School and Jazz at Lincoln Center. Titled New Music for New York, the series comprises four evenings of adventurous contemporary music, with premieres each night. Juilliard concerts are performed by members of the New Juilliard Ensemble and the Ansonia Quartet, under the artistic direction of Joel Sachs. Mr. Sachs has assembled two distinctive programs of recent compositions, which are enjoying their New York premieres. Jazz at Lincoln Center has selected two stylistically different jazz ensembles whose concerts emphasize original works, each with one world premiere.
Summergarden is free and seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. The Sculpture Garden may close if attendance reaches maximum capacity. Entrance to Summergarden is through the Sculpture Garden gate on West 54 Street between Fifth and Sixth avenues. The Sculpture Garden opens at 7:00 p.m., and concerts start at 8:00 p.m. and run approximately one hour to 90 minutes. The Sculpture Garden closes at 10:00 p.m. In the event of rain, concerts will be held in The Agnes Gund Garden Lobby, and the Museum’s 54 Street entrance will open at 7:30 p.m. The exhibition galleries are closed during Summergarden. The Garden Bar, located on the northeast end of the Sculpture Garden, features a selection of homemade snacks, draft beer, wine, and nonalcoholic beverages. In the event of rain, the Garden Bar is closed.
Summergarden is made possible by a partnership with Volkswagen of America.
