Carter Pann and Tom Myer listen听as the Black Diamond Quartet rehearses "The Mechanics."
It鈥檚 been a whirlwind year for composer Carter Pann. Since being named a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Music for his saxophone quartet 鈥淭he Mechanics: Six from the Shop Floor,鈥� Pann has been working on new chamber music, large ensemble pieces鈥攅ven an homage to Ravel鈥檚 鈥淏ol茅ro.鈥�
And of course, plenty of saxophone commissions.
鈥淭he sax world is kind of gluttonous for contemporary music. They clamor for it,鈥� says the composition professor.
And this weekend, after about 20 other performances around the country, 鈥淭he Mechanics鈥� comes to Colorado for the first time. The premiere performance is at the Dairy Arts Center. Tackling the piece is the CU 麻豆影院 graduate saxophone quartet, the Black Diamond Quartet.
鈥淚t鈥檚 really cool,鈥� Pann says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a CU professor, a CU quartet and the Colorado premiere here in 麻豆影院.鈥�
The concert is part of the 鈥淥ne Night Only鈥� series and is sponsored by former Smithsonian curator and 麻豆影院 resident Arthur Lieb. It鈥檚 the second 鈥淢echanics鈥� performance in a week for the quartet: They played the piece Sunday at the in New Mexico. Add to that an upcoming in-studio performance on a new Colorado Public Radio contemporary music series, and you could say it鈥檚 been a whirlwind year for the four students as well.
鈥淚t鈥檚 one of the hardest pieces we鈥檝e played yet as a group. The majority of our rehearsal time is spent on this piece,鈥� soprano saxophonist Ryan Van Scoyk says.
The Black Diamond Quartet鈥攃omprised of Van Scoyk, Chris Ruiz, Sean Edwards and Robert Ward鈥攆irst began rehearsing the piece together at the behest of saxophone professor Tom Myer in August. Since then, Van Scoyk says they鈥檝e worked on it at least a couple of hours every week.
鈥淭he piece is driven by the energy of a car engine and a mechanic鈥檚 shop, so that means it has to go fast,鈥� he says. 鈥淏ut it鈥檚 also extremely complicated. Most of the work we鈥檝e done on it has been pulling it apart, finding all the different underlying melodies woven together. It鈥檚 really fun to play.鈥�
Along the way, Pann has been lending a composer鈥檚 perspective, helping with interpretation and making sure the piece moves.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been great to rehearse with them. This is not an easy piece and they鈥檙e giving it a good stab. It鈥檚 going to be a great performance,鈥� Pann says.
Van Scoyk, who was at the world premiere of 鈥淭he Mechanics鈥� in 2014, says though Pann isn鈥檛 a saxophonist himself, he writes adeptly for the instrument. 鈥淎 lot of music we play was written by a pianist or some other instrumentalist, and it doesn鈥檛 feel quite right for sax,鈥� he explains. 鈥淏ut Carter understands all the idiosyncrasies of the instrument and this piece works really well on the saxophone.鈥�
The CU group isn鈥檛 the first student ensemble to take up 鈥淭he Mechanics鈥�: Pann says it鈥檚 becoming part of the collegiate saxophone repertoire.
鈥淚t鈥檚 finding itself on a lot of conference schedules,鈥� he says. 鈥淎 lot of sax teachers are giving it to their students to perform.鈥�
鈥淭he Mechanics鈥� isn鈥檛 Pann鈥檚 first saxophone piece, and it definitely won鈥檛 be the last. He says it鈥檚 spawned more commissions, including a technically 鈥渂rutal鈥� follow-up for the Capitol Quartet鈥攖he group that made the Pulitzer-nominated recording鈥攆ittingly titled 鈥淐apitol Punishment.鈥�
鈥淚 also just finished a saxophone sonata for the alto player of the Capitol Quartet,鈥� Pann adds.
Van Scoyk says the more closely he and his colleagues work with composers, the more deliberate their playing becomes.
鈥淐arter is very specific in his writing. He notates every dynamic, every articulation. So we鈥檙e trying to play what鈥檚 on the page as much as we can.
鈥淚t鈥檚 such a cool opportunity to have composers like Carter Pann and Dan Kellogg right down the hall,鈥� the Denver-area native says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 really amazing that we鈥檙e at the center of a thriving arts scene in Colorado.鈥�
The Colorado premiere of 鈥淭he Mechanics: Six from the Shop Floor鈥� is this Saturday, March 4, at 7:30 p.m. at the Gordon Gamm Theater at the Dairy Arts Center. For ticket information, visit the . Listen for the piece and the Black Diamond Quartet on CPR this spring.
