Music in the 21th century has become truly global. While concerts a few decades ago were drawn mainly from 18th, 19th and early 20th century European composers, trade winds from Asia, South America and Australasia are bringing exotic melodies, harmonies, rhythms and instruments to modern audiences.
Lyrica Chamber Music, always innovative in its programing, is presenting a concert by members of Decoda that touches down in Bali, Japan, India, Argentina, Cuba and America. Flutist Catherine Gregory, cellist Caitlin Sullivan and marimba player Ian Rosenbaum will be the guides on this exotic journey at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 15, at the Presbyterian Church of Chatham Township, 240 Southern Blvd.
“This program is centered around the idea of musical snapshots,” Gregory said, “of folk-song and dance-inspired music from around the globe.”
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The Decoda musicians will be introducing New Zealand composer Gareth Farr’s musical snapshots of Asia, “Kembung Suling” for flute and marimba; Argentinian composer Osvaldo Golijov’s “Mariel” for cello and marimba; Andy Akiho’s “Karakurenai” for solo marimba; Cuba’s Paquito D’Rivera’s “Danzon”; and Argentinian composer Astor Piazzolla’s “Histoire du Tango.” And just in case the audience should become a little homesick, Decoda will play an arrangement of Cole Porter’s “Night and Day.”
Speaking of Farr’s “Kembung Suling,” Gregory said, “The three movements traverse the magical island of Bali, the haunting sounds of the Japanese shakuhachi flute and then both instruments (flute and marima) outplay each other with the complex rhythms and south Indian scales.”
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The piece by Piazzolla traces “the history of the Argentinian tango from Bordello – 1900 to Café 1930 to Nightclub 1960,” Gregory said. The arrangement for flute, cello and marimba is by Decoda.
The three instruments are an unusual combination, but an exciting one according to Gregory.
“The program enables us to explore the versatile qualities of the flute, cello and marimba, facing off in different combinations: solo, duo and trio,” Gregory said. “Most of the music is originally scored for our instruments, though we have also made our own arrangements including Cole Porter’s “Night and Day.”
In the course of the concert, Gregory will play four different types of flute: flute, alto flute, bass flute and piccolo.
“The music in the concert is wonderfully evocative and transportive,” Gregory said. “Each piece is its own vignette.”
Decoda is a New York-based chamber collective of about 30 musicians dedicated to bringing meaningful musical experiences to any and all audiences. It is an Affiliate Ensemble of Carnegie Hall.
“There is nothing quite like playing chamber music with your friends,” Gregory said, “and as a member of Decoda I am so privileged to have such incredible colleagues who are passionate about what they do.”
Gregory, who is from Australia but based now in New York City, has built a diverse and accomplished career as a soloist, orchestral player, chamber musician and teaching artist. The New York Times has called her playing “magically mysterious,” also writing that “Ms. Gregory left a deep impression… her sound rich and fully present.”
A sought-after musician throughout the New York scene, Sullivan can be found equally on the stages of Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall, and at unconventional spaces like clubs, art galleries or even a double-decker bus. Recognized as having the “understanding and emotional projection of a true artist” by the New York Concert Review, Sullivan has designed a multi-dimensional career as a performer of both classical and contemporary music.
Praised for his “excellent” and “precisely attuned” performances by the New York Times, Rosenbaum has developed a musical breadth far beyond his years. He made his Kennedy Center debut in 2009 and later that year garnered a special prize created for him at the Salzburg International Marimba Competition. Rosenbaum joined the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s CMS Two program in 2012 as only the second percussionist they have selected in their history. His debut solo album, “Memory Place,” came out this year.
Tickets for the concert are $25-$30. For more information about Lyrica Chamber Music, visit www.lyricachambermusic.org or call 973-309-1668.
