The University of Connecticut’s ensemble NOVA Musica presented contemporary works in collaboration with the UConn Dance Program at von der Mehden recital hall Sunday.
NOVA Musica was recently formed by conductor Stan Renard for UConn performers to explore repertoires for small ensembles.
At the beginning of the 20th century, composers wrote for atypical chamber groups, offering an opportunity for cross-disciplinary collaboration, including music, dance and acting.
Renard, a virtuoso violinist, violist and conductor and arranger, directed the concert, which included works by George Crumb, Pierre Boulez, Maurice Ravel and John Cage.
The first piece “Madrigals, Book I for Soprano, Vibraphone and Contrabass” was composed in 1965 by Crumb and is based on the poetry of Federico Gracia Lorca.
The piece addressed themes of earth, rain, life and death through gradation, a musical texture offering a gradual series of successive stages.
Soprano Lisa Lynch demonstrated her diverse techniques through the humming, whispering and syllabic repetition required for this piece.
The vibraphone player for this piece used different mallets and brushes to create various sounds. At one point, he walked over to the contrabass player and began to hit the strings with his mallets.
Boulez’s “Pli selon pli: Improvisation I sur Mallarme” was composed from 1957 to 1962 for soprano, harp, vibraphone, bells and a variety of percussion.
“It was very different,” said Kayla Cardin, a 2nd-semseter music education major. “As a musician, I normally think of Bach or Mozart when I go to a concert, but this blew my mind.”
Ravel’s “Trios Poemes de Stephane Mallarme” consisted of three movements set to the text of the poet Mallarme.
This piece, composed in 1913, was written for soprano, flutes, clarinets, violins, viola, cello and piano.
“I didn’t know what to expect,” said Sara Piazza, a 2nd-semester special education major. “I liked how it all came together.”
The final piece “Four3,” written by Cage in 1991, consisted of two pianists, six rain sticks, two violins and five dancers.
In this 30-minute piece, the piano’s slow lines were played on top of the violin’s single high-pitched note, while the constant, gentle sound of the rain sticks was maintained by two other performers.
Five dancers improvised to this piece, often pushing or pulling other dancers. The dancers contrasted their slow, graceful movements with sharp, quick gestures.
“We had two rehearsals to put this entire piece together,” said Brittany Bandani, one of the dancers and a 6th-semester movement therapy major. “As movers, we interpret what we hear using repetition, shadowing and sound.”
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