'New Beginnings' from a new musical group
The duo calls itself Caballito Negro ("Little Black Horse"). The name came from a line in the poem, "Cancion de Jinete" (Song of the Rider) by Federico Garcia Lorca, and one of the Madrigals by composer George Crumb. "Little Black Horse" is flutist Tessa Brinckman and percussionist Terry Longshore. The new duo will present a concert "New Beginnings" at 8 p.m. Monday, May 5, at Southern Oregon University Department of Music, 1250 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashlan
Caballito Negro plans to present contemporary music not only rooted in western classical traditions, but also from ethnic Europe, Asia, Africa and Australasia. The sound worlds of flute and percussion are a natural match for folkloric music the world over. Both performers are individually known for their forays into non-western music, specifically Hindustani and flamenco. They are both currently performing in the Oregon Shakespeare Festival's 2008 production of "The Clay Cart," playing multiple flutes, western, Indian and flamenco percussion.
Originally from New Zealand, Brinckman worked in many classical music ensembles and concert series in the United States, South Africa and New Zealand. She has recorded and composed for theater in New Zealand, New York and Seattle, for Radio New Zealand, and for TV commercials. She is the founder of Ensemble East West (formerly East West Continuo) and has received local and international grants to present unique historic and contemporary chamber music programs. She has premiered numerous works by American composers as well as her own compositions.
Longshore is active as a performer, composer, and educator of percussion and has performed throughout the U.S. and abroad. He performs regularly as a soloist and with percussion duo Skin and Bones, percussion quartet Conundrum, flute/percussion duo Caballito Negro, multi-media ensemble Sonoluminescence, and flamenco ensemble Alba Flamenca. He has performed at major festivals and has premiered many compositions for solo percussion, chamber ensemble, and symphony orchestra and is chair of the department of music at SOU.
"New Beginnings" will present works by composers from New Zealand, North and South America. These pieces also draw upon the music of Asian Pacific and South Africa. Composers include New Zealand percussionist Gareth Farr. His "Kembang Suling — Three Musical Snapshots of Asia" was written for flute and marimba, a playful weaving of rhythmic cycles that evokes three cultures.
American composer David P. Jones wrote "Music for South Africa" originally for alto saxophone and percussion, as homage to the South African struggle to overturn apartheid, and the country's hope for its future. Another American composer, Howard Hersh, was inspired by the dark and sensuous beauty of the alto flute and concert grand marimba to write "Braided River Nights." The two instruments are continuously intertwined with one another in an exotic romantic atmosphere, while fleeting American tunes like Robert Lowry's famous hymn "Shall We Gather at the River" appear.
Longshore performs his own composition "Crash," which incorporates rhythmic structures from India and Africa, as well as from jazz and rock drumming. The sonic capabilities of metallic instruments are widely varied, and "Crash," scored for 3 pair of Chinese and Turkish cymbals, seeks to fully explore the sound world of these three seemingly simple instruments.
North Korean humanitarian and political dissenter, Isang Yun, wrote "Salomo" as a kind of micro-tonal poem. He rearranged this work from his cantata, "Der weise Mann" borrowing text from the Old Testament. The solo alto flute serves as an intense advocate for Yun's synthesis of North Korean traditional music and the contemporary aesthetics of the Darmstadt school.
The concert closes with "Candombe de los Buenos Tiempos" by Argentinian guitarist and composer Máximo Diego Pujol (rearranged here for flute and marimba). The intricate rhythms of the candombe (a Uruguayan music and dance form) originally came with the African slaves, and are a passionate expression of loss and hope.
Tickets are $12 general admission. Students are admitted free. Call 552-6101.
