The Program:

Bolter:  Dances of Greeting for Trombone and Percussion
Draganski:  Heart's Desire - Fantasy for Contrabassoon and Piano
Banks: New Year's Day:  Long Pine Creek

INTERMISSION

Riley: The Room of Rememberance from In Winter They Buried the Cocktail Pianist
Jarvinen:  TIMEPEACE

Some background on the pieces on the program

Notes for Dances of Greeting by Norman Bolter

DANCES OF GREETING, composed in 1995, was designed specifically to 'clear the air' in order to make room for a warm, happy greeting to be delivered and received.  This 'clearing the air' technology was used in Ancient Egypt and Ancient China in order to disperse any 'atmosphere' that had been created beforehand by others, thereby providing a fresh, clean ecology in which the work at hand could be conducted...

- Words from Bolter:

"DANCES OF GREETING represents, to me, the model opening work for a recital.  It immediately engages the attention of the audience and invites them into the personal world of the performer.  A tour-de-force showpiece that also carries with it airs of innocent simplicity, it has the remarkable effect of preparing the listener for all the pieces that will follow while at the same time allowing the soloist to express a variety of 'wlecoming' moods and colors.  The atmosphere created in the concert hall at the conclusion of the piece is stunning - a moment I shall never forget."

Composer Donald Draganski's comments for Heart's Desire:

HEART'S DESIRE for contrabassoon and piano is a free fantasy based on the hymn "Herzlich tut mich verlangen" by the 17th century German composer Samuel Scheidt; the title of the work derives from the opening words of the hymn.  The idea of writing a work for contrabassoon occurred to me in the spring of 1991 after I had heard a tape of a recital which Susan Nigro had given a few months earlier.  Listening to the tape was a real ear-opener, for it demonstrated to me the potential that the contrabassoon has as a solo instrument in the hands of an accomplished player.  In writing the piece, I decided to emphasize the lyrical side of the instrument and downplay the usual grotesque cliches that are too often associated with the instrument.  Scheidt's hymn seemed the perfect vehicle to employ as a starting point for a piece that shows the contrabassoon's more songful side.  The work was commissioned by, and is fondly dedicated to, Susan Nigro.  It was premiered on September 22nd, 1991, in recital at Elmhurst College in Elmhurst, Illinois.

Information on Long Pine Creek: New Year's Day by Rusty Banks, provided by the composer:

About one year ago, I needed to write a piece for my performance group based in Birmingham, AL.  We called ourselves Bent Indigenous because we had a keen interest in fusing elements of various roots musics with contemporary art music sounds.  I also like to include some kind of regional and/or environmental elements to each performance.  So I could work on this piece (for a performance in February, 2003), Christy and I rented a cabin in Long Pine, Nebraska, next to Long Pine Creek.  It was one of the few times I have fished and not caught a thing.  I did, however, manage to get some samples of the creek and fashion them into a piece for guitar and soundfile.  I also made an ambient sound installation to be realized on four boom boxes.  Rather than a "composition", LONG PINE CREEK: NEW YEAR'S DAY is more of a presentation concept.  It is four pieces performed in a soundscape that connects and cushions the separation of the pieces.  After a short boom-box prelude, I perform the guitar and tape work.  Then Christy performs my composition for clarinet and soundfile called Slit.  Betsy then performs my work for soundfile and flute called Limbre.  For the original performance I wrote a work for all of us to play as an ending.  Tonight, we will instead end with a work I had written for Betsy, Christy and me entitled GlassFireFlower.  I feel this is more satisfying because the sound file for Limbre uses samples from GlassFireFlower, as well as samples from several other recordings that feature some or all of us.  The title, LONG PINE CREEK: NEW YEAR'S DAY is not merely archival.  As cliche as it is, a stream best represents the passage of time.  It is large, connected, and easily perceived, yet one cannot hold it.  If one stands in it, he affects what occurs downstream.  Finally, a stream is like time becuase there is never enough of it.

Information on The Room of Remembrance by Terry Riley, provided by Joe Holmquist:

THE ROOM OF REMEMBRANCE was commissioned by Zeitgeist and premiered by them in Lisbon in 1987.  New Music Agent Joe Holmquist performed in this premiere concert under the supervision of the legendary American composer Terry Riley.  "The Room" is a long, long, elegant chord progression interrupted by small 'set pieces'.  The version presented by the Lincoln ensemble will involve only the introspective, elegiac chord progression performed on marimba, synthesizer, and cello.

Information on TIMEPEACE by Arthur Jarvenin, provided by Joe Holmquist, from an e-mail sent to Joe by the composer:

"Earlier this year I got an email from the composer Frederic Rzewski.  He had recently participated in some anti-war events in New York and commented to me that the anti-war movement doesn't have it's own music like it did in the sixties.  In retrospect, the Viet Nam conflict almost had its own soundtrack, compared to this war anyway.

"I read a review of a recent Rzewski performance which made it clear that Frederic decided to speak his mind on the issue, musically.  He did a piece that included him pounding the piano and shouting 'Stop the war!'

"Immediately upon reading Rzewski's email I responded in my own way by writing TIMEPEACE.  It would be fair, I suppose, to say that I am "anti-war", but more to the point, for me, I would choose to say that I am "pro-peace", having always believed that war is about the stupidest thing human beings do to each other, an activity that we should be deeply ashamed characterizes our species.  With that in mind, I tried to make a work that would affirm something I treasure rather than making a direct statement against anything, in general or specifically."