The Standing Wave Society presents
LEVIATHAN
Christie Reside flute
A-K Coope clarinet
Rebecca Whitling violin
Peggy Lee cello
Allen Stiles piano
Vern Griffiths percussion
Sunday, April 29, 2018 at 7:30pm ♦ The Annex, 823 Seymour Street, 2nd Floor, Vancouver
$25 regular, $15 student/senior ♦ leviathan.brownpapertickets.com or at the door (open at 6:30pm)
On Sunday, April 29, 2018, Vancouver’s leading new music ensemble, Standing Wave, presents Leviathan, a musical exploration of our interaction with different environments; the natural, social and political. Featuring the premiere of Jared Miller’s Leviathan, this new work is inspired by and includes the songs of the blue whale, written as a way to make these sounds from the deep more relatable to human ears. Described as a “rising star” by MusicWorks magazine, the Canadian-American composer’s eclectic music is “playful” (New York Times), “hypnotic” (Sequenza 21), and “highly personal” (CBC Radio).
Harry Stafylakis (Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra Composer-In-Residence) wrote Unrelent as a direct response to the 2016 US Presidential election and the “turbulent emotional/psychological state” it created. After recently becoming an American citizen, Stafylakis woke on Nov. 9 feeling “a profound betrayal of the principles that brought me to this country”, and found composing Unrelent to be an exercise in catharsis.
Keith Hamel’s Dreamer is based on material deconstructed from two sources; Dr. Martin Luther King’s famous 1963 speech, and John Lennon’s timeless 1971 song Imagine, and the shared dream of a world of peace and tolerance. As Hamel notes “It is now almost half a century since these men imagined their better world, yet there is probably more conflict, injustice and intolerance in the world than ever”.
In La sel de la terre (winner of the 3rd Serge-Garant Prize in 2015) Patrick Giguère pays tribute to everyone who rages against the societal expectation to pursue wealth above all else; the artists, farmers, craftspeople, DIY workers and more who were described by Samuel Archibald as “la sel de la terre”.
Completing the program are Danish composer Bent Sørensen’s Deserted Churchyards, whose title comes from churchyards on the coast of Northern Jutland that are being reclaimed by the sea, and the premiere of Oh Come Now! There is a Beautiful Place! (after Glière’s Symphony No. 3 in B minor), Toronto-based Christopher Mayo’s addition to Standing Wave’s 20th Century Remix project.
Made up of six of Vancouver’s most sought-after musical multitaskers, Standing Wave is dedicated to commissioning and performing contemporary chamber music by Canadian and international composers. The ensemble ventures into a wide array of musical worlds with passion and assurance, bringing an audaciously intimate aesthetic to the most complex and ground-breaking music. In its 26-year history, Standing Wave has commissioned and premiered over 75 works, has toured across Canada, and has released four CDs. Notable releases include the 2017 winner of the Western Canadian Music Award for Classical Artist/Ensemble of the year, New Wave, which features work by Nicole Lizée, Justin Christensen, Marcus Goddard, Michael Oesterle and Edward Top, and Liquid States (2013), recorded live in CBC Studio One and nominated for two Western Canadian Music Awards.
The presenters gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the Canada Council for the Arts, the BC Arts Council, the Province of BC through Community Gaming Grants, and the City of Vancouver through Cultural Services.
