Modern Notebook

On the next Modern Notebook with Tyler Kline: Composer and pianist Stewart Goodyear fell in love with the violin as soon as he was introduced to music, and actually wanted to be a concert violinist before becoming a pianist. He was also surrounded by all kinds of different sounds and styles of violin playing, and in his solo work - titled “Solo” - he creates a fusion and “tour” of the music he loved throughout his childhood.Then, a piece by David Biedenbender that is inspired by a poem by Robert Fanning, which in turn is inspired by the art of Yayoi Kusama and a music video by Radiohead. The piece is called in a field of stars, and it’s music that is about how meaning is drawn from ambiguity.

Coming up on the next Modern Notebook with Tyler Kline: Kisetsu means “Seasons” in Japanese, and it is the title of this piece by Somei Satoh for orchestra. It’s a work composed in 1999 as part of the New York Philharmonic’s “Messages for the Millenium” Series, and while the message of the piece looks forward… There is also an ancient, meditative quality to this music.Then, we’ll hear a masterwork of the 20th Century: Gyorgy Ligeti’s “Violin Concerto.” It’s a piece filled with rhythmic complexities, unconventional sounds from the orchestra, and sparkling harmonic figures in the violin.

On this week’s Modern Notebook with Tyler Kline, we’ll hear music for Mother’s Day on the next Modern Notebook with a piece called “Wildflower” by Arturo Sandoval. Composed for harpist Yolanda Kondanassis, she says it’s a celebration of her own mother’s influence in her life, and of the irreplaceable role played by mothers everywhere.Plus, Pauchi Sasaki’s “Mother's Hand, Healing Hand,” a piece inspired by how often she tells her son how much she loves him. And, this piece by Natacha Diels titled “automatic writing mumbles of the late hour,” composed for Olivia de Prato’s Artist-Mother Project.

On the next Modern Notebook with Tyler Kline: we’ll hear a piece by Maria Huld Markan Sigfúsdóttir titled “Clockworking,” which is primarily concerned about time: on one hand, it evokes the measurable aspects of time-keeping, things like minutes and seconds… but also the immeasurable phenomena of what occurs between those measured moments.Then, we’ll pay tribute to Japanese composer and producer Ryuichi Sakamoto, who passed away on March 28, 2023. We’ll hear a few selections for solo piano from across his long career - all three encompassing totally different sound worlds, a testament to the composer’s talent and versatility.

On this week’s Modern Notebook with Tyler Kline: we’ll hear a work by Amanda Harberg for saxophone and piano called “Court Dance.” Also a work by Vijay Iyer for solo cello titled “Equal Night,” and performances by Brooklyn Rider, pianist Ann DuHamel, and others.Then: In Tibetan Buddhism, Tara is a goddess known as the “mother of liberation,” often associated with nature and plants. Yao Chen’s work “Emanations of Tara” draws on the paintings and statues of the goddess he encounter while visiting Tibet, and is crafted to be an abstract meditation on just a few qualities of Tara.

On this week’s Modern Notebook with Tyler Kline: On the very first page of the sheet music for Christopher Stark’s piece “This is Not a Story,” the clarinetist is instructed to play “incredibly soft, make the audience listen.” The three movement work grows from there, moving through introspective music, to music that “sorts out Beethoven,” and concludes with a movement titled “Cecilia Sings the Music in Her Heart; Captain Leighton Bids Farewell.”Then, Emma O’Halloran’s piece “Sum of its Parts” was created after spending hours with saxophonist Matthew Levy in a recording studio discussing and recording different sounds and techniques. The result was a vast catalog of coloristic elements that explores the full range of the saxophone, which went on to influence the piece.

On this week’s Modern Notebook with Tyler Kline: Mozart might not have composed any music for the marimba, but we might get an idea of what it would’ve sounded like from the Marimba Concerto by Kevin Puts - a work which he says reflects his love of Mozart’s Piano Concertos.Then, we’ll hear pianist Miki Sawada perform the music of Brendon Randell-Myers; also, a piece titled The Green Fuse by James Wilson; and this work by Hannah Lash for wind quintet titled “Leander and Hero.”

On this week’s Modern Notebook with Tyler Kline: While composing her work, “Dark with Excessive Bright,” Missy Mazzoli was constantly listening to Baroque and Renaissance music. And she says that while the piece is based somewhat on Baroque musical ideas, it mostly “slips between string techniques from several centuries, all while twisting a pattern of repeated chords beyond recognition.”We’ll hear that, then Tyler will be joined by members of the ensemble fivebyfive. They have a new album out titled “The Play Album,” a collection of works created to inspire all through the power of play.

On this week’s Modern Notebook with Tyler Kline: hear a piano concerto by Christopher Cerrone inspired by changes of weather titled “The Air Suspended.” And within this work, the piano represents an energy source continuously transforming the strings as if they are weather patterns.Then: the last words Steven Mackey’s mother said to him were, “Please tell everyone I had a beautiful passing.” His experience watching his mother gain control of her destiny at the end of her life inspired the story behind his violin concerto titled “Beautiful Passing,” a work where the violin gains control of its destiny, competes with, commands, and ultimately lets go of the orchestra.

On this week’s Modern Notebook with Tyler Kline: “Black Iris” by Reena Esmail was composed at the height of the “Me Too” movement, and she says that when writing this piece she was “filled with rage, seeing the injustices that plagued even the strongest, most powerful women among us.” It’s a work in which Esmail seeks to use her platform to start real, honest discussions about how each one of us can contribute to a better future for everyone.Then: individuals affected by “Alice in Wonderland” syndrome often report feeling that different parts of their body are disproportionate in size and proximity, and that their overall surroundings are “warped.” This syndrome is, in part, the inspiration for Du Yun’s piece titled “i am my own achilles’ heel.” It’s a work which seeks to address mental health, and also explore her own fascinations with fantastical worlds.

Coming up on the next Modern Notebook with Tyler Kline: Composer Asha Srinivasan says the piano is an extremely adept instrument when it comes to changing moods suddenly: in one moment, it can be dominating and terrifying, and in the next, delicate and docile.Tune in for her work “Mercurial Reveries” which explores these contrasts against a backdrop of a traditional Indian music pitch language and Bartok inspirations.Plus, “The Moons Symphony” by Amanda Lee Falkenberg is music inspired by the beauty and majesty of the moons in our solar system. It’s also music that quite literally merges music and science, composed in collaboration with scientists from NASA, ESA, and others.

On the next Modern Notebook: Helen Grime’s “A Cold Spring” is a three movement work that covers a lot of territory: it opens with exuberant and fast-moving music, followed by a nocturnal mini concerto for solo horn, and finally an energetic finale contrasting solos and duets within the ensemble.Then, “Don’t Beat a Word,” is “not a breakup song,” says composer Nina Shekhar. What it is, though, is sonically and personally influenced by her experience as a first-generation Indian-American, blending together Bollywood melodies and the sound of American pop.And, hear a conversation with composer Sangbin Rhie, who is writing a new work for Tampa Bay's Contemporary Art Music Project. The new work will be premiered on a concert next week in St. Petersburg.