Benjamin Krause

Hello, friends!

It’s been a long while since my last post.  I think I’ll try to update more often, even when the post seems mundane, even if it’s just a random thought, or quote, or random tidbit from my day.  Why else do I have this site?

We’re entering one of the craziest times of year, music-wise.  Here are some highlights of the next month (and news from the past few months)

- I was delighted to have been selected to be apart of the Young Artist program of Da Camera of Houston (http://www.dacamera.com/young_artists).  This involves numerous projects, events, performances, workshops, etc.  This Saturday, at Houston’s Menil Collection,  I’ll be performing an arrangement of Thelonious Monk’s “Brilliant Corners” with fellow Y.A. and friend David Connor on bass (for more info go to http://www.menil.org/programs/Programs.php).  The program is called “Bach in the 21st Century” and will pair performances of Johann Sebastian’s work with contemporary and contrasting works.  Over the next year I’ll also get numerous opportunities to compose works for special occasions and more chances to play jazz and other contemporary music.  I even used some theory-skills to make a harp arrangement of a Bach aria from figured bass (and seriously, who ever thought that would be a practical skill?).

- Three of my “LEGO” pieces will be performed Nov. 16 at the Shepherd School of Music on our Composers’ Forum Concert.  They are: The Hawkocopter, Buggy Motor Car, and Obi-Wan’s Spaceship.  These are based on toys that my nephew, Joey, has made with his LEGOs.  I did the exact same thing when I was his age (in fact, it was a constant obsession).  So trying to bring his imagination into my music seemed like the perfect way to bridge the creativity of a 4-year-old with what I do now.  See my last post for a description of what these are all about.

- This week I’ve been rehearsing with Opera Vista for their production of Thomas Ádes’ opera, “Powder Her Face,” which shows on Thursday and Friday night at Zilkha Hall in downtown Houston.  Honestly, that music is some of the most difficult I’ve come across.  Should be quite a treat (or a trip?!).

- On Nov. 20 I get to perform George Crumb’s Vox Balaenae (Voice of the Whale) with two other Shepherd students on cellist Clara Yang’s DMA recital.  What an incredible piece!  There’s a cool, interactive website about it here.  We’re doing it just as Crumb recommends – with the special blue lighting, black masks, and amplification, which of course all cumulatively create a mysterious, epic, dramatic, and theatrical aura.

It may seem like I’m performing more than composing, but I have plenty of composition projects in the works as well, including wrapping up the LEGO pieces, beginning a trio for violin, piano, and percussion for a DMA pianist’s March concert of Gamelan-inspired music (more info to come!), and planning a violin/cello duo as well as a set of variations for violin/piano for other Spring performances.  As I was recently discussing with some of my colleagues, it seems like most of the day-to-day grind involves putting out dozens of small fires that come up, hoping that eventually there will be time for the “big” things.  But papers, reading, tests, teaching obligations, work, etc. never really stop, and in the end, I’m content to accept the perpetuity of life’s obstacles and just be grateful that this is my life.   I’ll certainly be even more grateful when Thanksgiving comes around.

Hope this finds everyone well.

Cheers,
-Ben

More music!

I recently had the pleasure of performing fellow Rice DMA composer Karl Blench’s piece for clarinet, viola, and piano called Book of Mental Imagery.  Four of the nine movements are posted on the “Piano” page.  A couple weeks ago, my own piece for flute and piano, Night Tides, was premiered: recording posted on “Music.”  As soon as I get a hold of the recording of my performance of Dutilleux’s Sur un meme accord, I’ll get that up as well.

Hope you enjoy!  In the meantime – lots of exciting things on the horizon! Better get to work.

The composer Yehudi Wyner was in residence here at Rice this past week.  The other composers and I had a great time with him – lunches, a master class, a presentation, private lessons, and a concert featuring a couple of his works.  I highly recommend listening to his oboe quartet (oboe + string trio) as well as the Pulitzer-winning piano concerto “Chiavi in Mano.”  I also found this interesting interview with him.  At 82 years old, he is sharp, eloquent, bubbling with enthusiasm, and hilariously witty.  During my own lesson with him he shared stories about hanging out with his friend Henri Dutilleux, one of my musical heroes (of course we also discussed some of my music).

In other news: my piece “The Lily Flower” for chorus and piano will be performed several times at Palomar College (CA) in April – once as part of Peter Gach’s own piano series on April 3rd (which will also include Schumann’s Kreisleriana), then on the Palomar Chamber Singers’ concerts on April 8th and 9th.  I hope to make this piece part of a larger set of settings of short Japanese poems in the near future.

This semester at Rice I’ll be performing Steve Reich’s “Four Organs” with the 20/21 contemporary music ensemble, selections from George Crumb’s Music for a Summer Evening for two pianos and percussion, as well as on two of my colleague’s own composition recitals.  My recent piece “Very Sharp Things” for clarinet, violin, cello and piano will be read by Speculum Musicae later this semester, and I’ll be premiering a new work for flute and piano on our composers’ forum concert.