A performance of and lecture about the music of Czech composer Leos Janacek, 1854-1928, will take place at 1:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 14, in the auditorium of the Whitney Humanities Center, WHC,, 53 Wall St. The event is free and open to the public.
Janacek composed opera, orchestral, instrumental and sacred vocal music utilizing folk elements. In fact, he employed his own "speech melody" concept based on the Czech language. He believed that music should follow the natural rhythms of human speech, animals and birds.
At the WHC event, Yale composer and School of Music faculty member Martin Bresnick will present a talk titled "Testaments Betrayed? Orchestrating the Music of Leos Janacek," discussing his own experiences orchestrating the Czech composer's works. Pianist Lisa Moore will accompany Mr. Bresnick during his talk and will also perform Janacek's "On an Overgrown Path."
An award-winning composer, Mr. Bresnick is professor of composition and coordinator of the composition department at the School of Music. His own work covers a wide range of instrumentation, from chamber music to symphonic compositions and computer music. He has received commissions from numerous organizations, including the National Endowment for the Arts. He has also written music for films; two of these films, "Arthur & Lillie"and "The Day After Trinity," both by director Jon Else, were nominated for Academy Awards in the documentary category. Professor Bresnick's works have won both national and international prizes, and his honors include three NEA Composer Grants and numerous ASCAP awards.
A native Australian, Ms. Moore performs across the globe as both soloist and chamber musician. She has recently won acclaim for her solo Janacek disc and her appearances with the Bang On a Can All-Stars and the Da Capo Chamber Players. She was the silver medalist in the 1981 International American Music Competition.