Persepolis looming…

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This morning Kat and I awoke, took a leisurly walk, then hopped on a plane to Atlanta. My good friend Daniel Swilley picked us up at the airport, and after a short 3-hour drive we made it to my hometown.

Tomorrow (Sunday) I’ll zip down to Valdosta for the dress rehearsal of Symphony No. I – “Persepolis.” As you can imagine, my excitement grows more every day in preparation for this performance. It’s quite a landmark in my career, and I’m truly grateful for this opportunity.

I’ll post again with an update after the dress rehearsal.

Preparing for Persepolis…

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In less than two weeks, my first symphony will have its world premiere. I’ve been corresponding with the director at VSU, and my excitement builds more and more every day.

Working with Dr. Brashier has been a delight. He agreed to the premiere wholeheartedly before he had seen or heard a note of the piece. Wow! During the rehearsal process he found a few “bugs” and made a few suggestions, all of which I have duly noted. Due to these corrections, this means that the PDF I submitted to KU for my thesis is obsolete already!

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Kaykhosrow’s Ascension: Recording

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Here is an audio recording of the world premiere of “Kaykhosrow’s Ascension”, recorded in Carnegie Hall on 4 June 2006. The performers are Mike Kirkendoll and Mary Fukushima.

This is a large file (11.5 MB). It may take a while to start playing. Click on the “play” button to begin listening.

Bondari – Kaykhosrow’s Ascension

Program notes

Inspired by Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh (Persian Book of Kings), Kaykhosrow’s Ascension is a loosely-programmatic work depicting the suffering and eventual heavenly departure of Kaykhosrow, one of ancient Persia’s greatest kings.

After many years of honorable ruling, Kaykhosrow became sated with kingship. As the descendant of the righteous Kavus and the wicked Afrasyab, he began to feel the weight of his crooked heritage. For five weeks he locked himself away and prayed, anguishing lest he fall into wicked ways. One night the angel Sorush appeared to him in a dream and comforted him, saying “You will find a home beside the Source of Righteousness, there is no need for you to sojourn in this darkness any longer.” Kaykhosrow then gave away all of his riches and even his crown. With a party of his followers he made his way up a mountainside. During the night he disappeared, leaving no earthly trace.

Musically, the “ascension” of Kaykhosrow is found in the octatonic scale. Each section of the piece ascends by one note in the scale, though there is one slight alteration. There is one central theme – all thematic material grows out of the main idea. In the final section there is an eventual breakdown as the parts become disassociated with one another and eventually disappear, thus representing Kaykhosrow’s final moments and mystical renunciation of the world.

Kaykhosrow’s Ascension was commissioned by Mike Kirkendoll and Mary Fukushima.

Start of class, plus Bacchae

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Classes at KU resume again tomorrow, which means that I begin teaching music theory again, plus taking several of my own classes. Henceforth begins my second year of Latin study, plus classes in conducting and Renaissance history. Composition is always on the forefront as well. I have several goals, a couple of which are to finish two movements of a string quartet, plus begin work on a commission by Gabriella Frank. Now that all the parts for “Persepolis” are finished, I feel like I can concentrate on creative tasks rather than tedious, repetitve part extraction!

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Update from Greece…. plus pictures

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Greetings from Katohi, Greece. I found a few minutes to spare in an internet café, so here is an update. I finished all the music for the production a couple weeks ago, and for the past month we’ve been in the midst of rehearsals for The Bacchae.

Tomorrow, we perform the show in the ancient theatre here (Oiniades). Our production is just over an hour in duration, and this includes about 25 minutes of music. I look forward to the show, and feel it will be a success.

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NY Trip/Carnegie looming… etc.

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Tomorrow morning Kat and I are heading to New York. It promises to be an eventful trip since Mary Fukushima and Mike Kirkendoll are performing the world premiere of my composition for flute and piano, “Kaykhosrow’s Ascension”.

Date: June 4, 2006
Time: 5:30 PM
Place: Carnegie Hall, Weill Recital Hall, New York, NY

Once I get my hands on a recording I will post a link. Stay tuned for an update early next week.

In other news, I recently finished the first of several pieces for the upcoming performance of “The Bacchae” in Greece this summer. The piece is titled “Spirit Resting Holy.” See the schedule on the right for more details of the performance(s).

Finally, my illustrious composer-friend Dan Forrest has won yet another contest. See his web site for more details. Go Dan!