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News

New Commission: Richard Festinger To Write “Le Pianiste” For Marilyn Nonken

San Francisco-based Richard Festinger has been commissioned to write a new solo work, “Le pianiste,” for Marilyn Nonken. Richard Festinger is a composer who came to prominence in the 1980s as the founding director of the nationally acclaimed Earplay ensemble. Before turning to composing, he led his own groups as a jazz performer, an experience which has had a profound influence on his style. The new work’s commission, premiere, and recording in 2008-2009 is generously supported by the Argosy Foundation and the Ross McKee Foundation.

New Commission: Liza Lim To Write “The Four Seasons (After Cy Twombly)” For Marilyn Nonken

Liza Lim is an Australian composer who has risen to international acclaim in the past several years; she was commissioned by the Los Angeles Philharmonic to write a new work celebrating the inaugural season of the Disney Concert Hall, and she has received other major commissions from the Festival d’Autumne, Salzburg Festial, and Lucern Festival. Liza Lim’s “The Four Seasons” has been programmed for performances in Toronto, New York, and Helsinki in 2008-2009, and its commission is generously supported by the Ian Potter Cultural Trust.

Upcoming Releases: Music Of Ferneyhough, Reynolds, and Rakowski

Marilyn Nonken’s 2008-2009 season will see three new releases: David Rakowski’s “Piano Concerto” (BMOP Sound), a work written for her and recorded with the Boston Modern Orchestra Project under Gil Rose; Roger Reynolds’s “The Angel of Death” (Mode), a concerto for piano, chamber orchestra, and electronics, recorded with the Slee Sinfonietta under Magnus Martensson; and chamber music of Brian Ferneyhough (Neos), recorded with the Ensemble ELISION under Jean DeRoyer, including “La Chute d’Icare” and “Les Froissements d’Ailes de Gabriel.”

Recent Release: Chris Dench, Beyond Status Geometry

The new Tzadik release, “Beyond Status Geometry,” is the first portrait disc dedicated to the music of Australian iconoclast Chris Dench. Included on this recording is Marilyn Nonken’s performance of “passing bells: night,” a work written for her in the aftermath of 9/11. In 2005, Time Page of the Washington Post wrote, “Dench's "passing bells: night" was described as a musical response to the events of Sept. 11, 2001, which should not be held against it. This is neither anguished threnody nor jingoistic march, and while it may have been inspired by horrors, it does not exploit them. Rather "passing bells: night" is a sustained meditation, throughout which a deep, moist tintinnabulation resounds. Nonken made the most of its dark poetry.”