Full Description:

A modular dance opera for Blarvuster by Matthew Welch
for 2 Mezzo-sopranos, Baritone, Tenor, chorus, flute/piccolo, viola, 2 electric guitars, piano, bass guitar, vibraphone, drum kit

For some time now, I have been working on a series of short operas (or modular “Acts”) centered around the luminary Argentine author Jorge Luis Borges, all played by an expanded version of my ensemble Blarvuster. In 2007, the first of these Borges mini-operas featured two mezzo-sopranos portraying an older and younger Borges meeting in a dream space. Borges was not shy to rework the basic concept of a story in to a new and equally fantastic second tale, and so for a second act written for tenor and baritone, two additional Borges of differing ages meet yet again in a separate encounter of dreaming each other. In both operas/acts, each Borges views his other in disbelief, hashing out self-loathing critique, whilst verifying biographical information. This pushes the iconic identity of Borges and his astonishing deconstruction of time and memory as forefront topics. The upcoming production in May 2012 will be the first performance of the complete opera, which combines the previous two modular acts of dialogues, further enhanced by new sections for chorus that pontificate and comment upon the multifarious identity of Borges (along the lines of the use of chorus in Greek Tragedy and the Baroque oratorio), coupled with intimate chamber passages and ecstatic returns to the labyrinthine rhythmic lattices of Blarvuster.

Mezzo-Soprano: Lisa Komara
Mezzo-Soprano: Amirtha Kidambi
Baritone: Jeff Gavett
Tenor: James Rogers
Flutes: Leah Paul
Viola: Karen Waltuch
Piano: Emily Manzo
Electric Guitar: Taylor Levine
Electric Guitar: Matthew Hough
Bass Guitar: Ian Riggs
Vibraphone: Joe Bergen
Drums: Mike Pride
Borges Chorus: Anne Rhodes, Hannah Collins, Robert Yaman and Dashon Burton
Conductor: Matthew Welcht

 

Full Description:

This evening composer/bagpiper Matthew Welch will present the premiere of his second chamber opera, Borges and the Other #2, the next installment in a forthcoming trilogy centered on the Argentine author, Jorge Luis Borges. This new opera, tying together interests in Scottish music, Balinese gamelan, Early music and Rock, will performed by his eclectic ensemble Blarvuster, with Welch conducting. Also featured will be the unveiling of his duo collaboration with choreographer/dancer Rachel Bernsen, with Welch performing on bagpipes and Bernsen dancing.

The music of Matthew Welch (b.1976) stems from a remarkably multi-faceted foundation. Matthew holds two university degrees in Experimental Music Composition, a BFA from Simon Fraser University (1999), and an MA form Wesleyan University (2001), studying with noted composers such as Barry Truax, Rodney Sharman, Alvin Lucier and Anthony Braxton. His compositions range from traditional-like bagpipe tunes to electronic pieces, improvisation strategies and fully notated works for solo instruments, chamber ensembles and orchestra. He has also taken part in a number of compositional collaborations with Indonesian Gamelan composer-performers in Bali and Java, performed in free improvisation contexts with numerable New York City improvisors, and played with art rockers in the Brooklyn underground. As a virtuoso of the Highland Bagpipe, he studied traditional music with Gold Medalist masters such as Colin MacLellan, Jack Lee, Angus MacLellan and Andrew Wright. Matthew also was a member of the four - time World Champion Simon Fraser University Pipe Band, winning with them in 1999 and 2001. As an ambassador for the instrument, Matthew has premiered a number of new compositions written for bagpipes by contemporary composers. This involvement with a more diverse musical context has led him into an expansion of his instrumental array to include alternative bagpipe configurations, accordion and various saxophones. Indonesian Gamelan percussion music, both Javanese and more recently, Balinese, have been another focus of Matthew's, which he has pursued throughout his academic career, with the New York Indonesian Consulate gamelans, and in Bali. Matthew appears on Anthony Braxton's 10 [Solo Bagpipe] Compositions, 2000, and a few compact discs of his own music, Ceol Nua (Leo 336, 2002) highlighting orchestral and chamber works, Hag at the Churn (Newsonic 33, 2003), a collection of electronic concoctions and Dream Tigers (on John Zorn's Tzadik Records' Composer Series 8015, 2005) a program of ecstatic chamber music featuring his critically acclaimed string quartet, Siubhal Turnlar. His compositions for Balinese Gamelan Semara Dana are featured in his multi-media collaboration with Ikue Mori known as Bhima Swarga (Tzadik DVD edition 3007, 2007). The eclectic breadth of his interests in Celtic music, gamelan, minimalism, improvisation and rock also converge in compositional amalgams for his New York based ensemble, Blarvuster. ......"The Brooklyn-based composer leaps vast geographical distances, imagining statistically implausible musical melting pots that sound utterly natural...a composer possessed of both rich imagination and the skill to bring his fancies to life" - TimeOut NY "some serious bagpipe wizardry...as far as I can tell, Matt Welch must be the Eddie Van Halen of the bagpipes." - Pop Matters

Full Description:

Matthew Welch and Wayang Kontemporer - two multimedia collaborations inspired by The Balinese shadow play. Premiere of "Borges and the Other", an opera performed by Welch's ensemble Blarvuster, Balinese dance by Desiree A. Seguritan, setting text by Jorge Luis
Borges. Also a Tzadik DVD Edition pre-Release performance of Bhima Swarga - electronic sound and projected animations of traditional Balinese paintings by Ikue Mori, with Gamelan Dharma Swara performing Welch's bagpipe inspired compositions for Balinese gamelan semara dana. "Borges and the Other" is a Roulette/Jerome Foundation commission.

Matthew Welch (b.1976) holds two university degrees in Experimental Music Composition, a BFA from Simon Fraser University (1999), and an MA from Wesleyan University (2001), studying with noted composers such as Barry Truax, Rodney Sharman, Alvin Lucier and Anthony Braxton. The eclectic breadth of his interests in Scottish bagpipe music, Balinese gamelan, minimalism, improvisation and rock converge in compositional amalgams ranging from traditional-like bagpipe tunes to electronic pieces, improvisation strategies and fully notated works for solo instruments, chamber ensembles, orchestra and non-western instruments.