Glimmer: A private and shared exploration of queerness is the title for the June 11 live performance offered by Toronto’s New Music Concert events, spotlighting the work of composer Thierry Tidrow.
The live performance occasion, offered in partnership with OperaQ and the Canadian Music Centre, and developed as a part of the Canadian Music Centre, Ontario Area’s Chalmers Efficiency House Artist in Residence Program, options the world premiere of Tidrow’s Glimmer for 3 excessive voices, flute(s), clarinet(s) and viola.
The concert-length work was commissioned by NMC. It brings textual content and music collectively in an natural combine, as created by an all-queer collaboration of performers and musicians, and developed by means of a collection of workshops.
Nils Karlsson Däumling, a kids’s opera by Thierry Tidrow, carried out by Deutsche Oper am Rhein (2019):
Canadian Composer Thierry Tidrow
Award-winning Canadian composer Thierry Tidrow produces each instrumental and vocal music, with a leaning in the direction of opera. His works typically mix parts of lyricism and parody in a playful mode.
Thierry is a local of Ottawa, the place he started finding out music by singing in choirs, adopted by research in composition, music principle and early music efficiency at McGill College, the place he earned a Bachelor’s diploma. He continued his research on the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, the place he obtained his Grasp’s diploma in composition, after which on the Hochschule für Musik Freiburg, incomes an Superior Research diploma.
He has collaborated with many performers and ensembles in each Europe and North America, together with the Asko-Schönberg Ensemble, Ensemble Trendy, the Bozzini String Quartet, Continuum, hand werk, Ensemble Proton, Sarah Maria Solar, Johannes Fischer, Brian Archinal, and Heather Roche amongst others. He has been featured at a number of music festivals, together with the Huddersfield Up to date Music Competition, Heidelberger Frühling, Musikfestspiele Potsdam Sanssouci, Cluster New Music and Built-in Arts Competition, the Competition Radio-France de Montpellier, Gaudeamus Muziekweek, and the Zagreb Music Biennale.
Thierry Tidrow: The Interview
How did he come to gravitate in the direction of composition?
“I studied at McGill, and I used to be finding out Early Music,” Tidrow remembers. Rising up in Ottawa, he sang in St. Matthew’s boys’ choir.
“I type of toyed round with composition as an adolescent,” he say, “however I believed I used to be going to turn into a countertenor.”
Singing per se is one factor; singing on stage in entrance of an viewers is one other. The realities of performing, the place you’re practising and deciphering different individuals’s music, made him notice the place his actual curiosity lay. He wished to create new music, and write new items.
“Simply understanding that every mission was going to be a totally new factor,” he says of the enchantment. He took up a number of totally different devices on the time. “I noticed I used to be extra toying with the devices,” he provides. Significantly finding out instrumental music means having a laser-like concentrate on simply that.
“That’s additionally why I like doing opera. Each piece may be so totally different.”
He likens it to the function of a movie director in a method, somebody who can sort out a horror film, then science fiction, then one other style at will. As a composer, he wasn’t compelled to decide on any single aesthetic or aim.
“For me being a composer, it’s like making an attempt a unique recipe every day.”
Glimmer
“I’ve identified Brian Present for some time.” Composer and conductor Brian Present is the Creative Director of New Music Concert events. Again in 2014, Continuum Up to date Music commissioned a chunk from Tidrow titled Au fond du Cloître humide. Present carried out the piece, which went on to win the Jules Léger Prize for New Chamber Music that 12 months.
“We stayed in touch.”
Present contacted Tidrow to write down a brand new brief piece across the theme of queerness as half of a bigger program.
“I mentioned certain… but when I discover this matter, I must do one thing larger than that,” Tidrow replied. The theme was multifaceted and dense. “I really feel like I simply wouldn’t do it justice,” he explains. “It turned a live performance size piece.”
As he factors out, will probably be carried out by an ensemble of queer performers. “It needs to be the attitude of assorted individuals.”
The instrumentation contains flutes, clarinets, and viola. “I wished to have three instrumentalists and three singers. I like this concept of getting a pleasant steadiness.”
The three devices every have two totally different identities within the piece, as he describes it: flute, alto flute and piccolo; clarinet and bass clarinet; the viola stays the identical, however “it undergoes a type of transition,” he describes. “That was one thing that was type of attention-grabbing to me conceptually.”
The three singers every have one monologue, and one music of their very own. “One autobiographical, and one second of concentrate on them as a soloists,” he says. “However for a lot of the piece they sing as a type of three-headed refrain.”
A technique of workshopping, together with every week spent with the performers in January, added parts to the piece. “There’s these little parts which can be autobiographical. The tales come out,” he says. “The texts are written by me, however workshopped with them.”
Closing Ideas
“I wish to say that the piece, in a method, is kind of influenced by the occasions that we’re in,” Thierry says.
It’s unimaginable to flee the headlines, the uncertainty, and the rising wave of intolerance on the earth.
“That’s type of on the core of the piece,” he says. “It’s type of asking — what is going to we do with these items that can paralyze us?” he provides. “It tries ultimately to be life affirming.”
Taking inventory, it’s clear that there are nonetheless issues to be thankful for, and nonetheless progress that has been made.
“On the identical time, we really feel just like the futures that we imagined for ourselves really feel increasingly restricted.”
It’s that duality of hope and gratitude and celebration vs. bereavement and mourning that performs all through the work. “I really feel like we dwell in a world the place we now have a coexistence of those two emotions.” The darker feelings should be acknowledged with out giving in to despair. “Additionally to search out the sunshine and lightness.”
There may be humour constructed into the piece as properly. “Parody is essential to me.” He cites the late filmmaker David Lynch as a philosophical inspiration, somebody who’s work was each foolish and severe.
“It’s discovering that candy spot.”
The Live performance
The performers embrace:
- Anika Venkatesh: Voice
- Brad Cherwin: Clarinets
- Danika Lorèn: Voice
- Hee-Soo Yoon: Viola
- Ryan McDonald: Voice
- Terry Lim: Flutes
The live performance begins at 8 p.m., however the doorways open an hour earlier than.
- Pre-concert speak with composer Thierry Tidrow at 7:15 p.m.
- Younger Artist Overture: Kaija Saariaho (FIN) Duft for solo clarinet, carried out by Kailan Fournier at 7:45 p.m.
Discover extra particulars in regards to the live performance at Buddies in Dangerous Occasions theatre on June 11 [HERE].
Are you trying to promote an occasion? Have a information tip? Have to know the most effective occasions occurring this weekend? Ship us a be aware.
#LUDWIGVAN
Get the every day arts information straight to your inbox.
Join the Ludwig Van Toronto e-Blast! — native classical music and opera information straight to your inbox HERE.
Anya Wassenberg is the Toronto Metropolis Editor at Ludwig Van. Beforehand, she was a contract author with a specialty in tradition and journey for 3 many years, and a inventive writing teacher for Ontariolearn.
