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Kansas City's Online Journal of the Performing Arts

Interview with J. J. Sherman

David Peironnet: Do you have a favorite piece among Avner’s works? What is it? Why?

J.J. Sherman: Honestly, I can’t say that I have a favorite piece. Instead, I have favorite passages for each composition. For example, with Lost Souls, the piano concerto commissioned and premiered by the Kansas City Symphony in November 2009, I am particularly fond of a sweeping passage in the first movement. I also adore the Scherzo Mischievouso in the second movement. With Frozen in Time, I get such a jolt listening to the opening of the third movement, "The Americas." It’s very brassy and, to me, the music captures the vibrant energy of our fine American cities as well as the "can do" spirit of the American people.

DP: Avner’s composition, Frozen in Time will be performed by the Kansas City Symphony this month. You're not a musician but you are an avid attentive listener, what can you tell us about Frozen in Time?

JJS: Frozen in Time is an amazing percussion concerto. I had the pleasure of hearing it performed live at the Musikverein in Vienna, Austria in February 2009, and I’m really looking forward to its U.S. premiere with the Kansas City Symphony. While the concerto is an auditory experience, I think it’s equally brilliant to watch. Avner utilizes numerous percussion instruments from all over the world.

I like to find narrative in musical compositions (although I know some listeners do not.) When I listen to Frozen in Time, I imagine I’m taking a trip on a time machine. “Indoafrica” takes me back to Ancient History (perhaps at a tribal celebration); “Eurasia” transports me to the Middle Ages (perhaps on the eve of a great battle); and “The Americas” places me at the birth of the Modern Age (perhaps in a large, bustling city).

DP: Any messages you would like to send back to Kansas City?

JJS: I am always delighted to find opportunities to come back to K.C. and to celebrate my hometown–whether it’s attending a premiere at the Kansas City Symphony of Avner’s music, or it’s speaking at the Integra Realty Resources Real Estate Conference on behalf of my law firm. My family and I couldn’t be more excited and proud to celebrate the U.S. premiere of Frozen in Time in K.C.!

Interview with the composer, Avner Dorman

David Peironnet:  We asked your wife about her impression of your compositions as a member of the audience rather than a musician, although she is certainly a highly informed, discerning listener. Do you ever run ideas by her to get a sense of what she thinks?  To what extent do you rely upon the opinions of other people who are more audience-types than professional musicians to learn how people will react to your compositions?

Avner Dorman: Of course I play my music for Jenny, sometimes before a piece is done and sometimes only when it’s done. Jenny has a very good ear and I trust her taste—but, in the end, my composition decisions are made based upon my compositional ideas. An important feedback for me is from the musicians who play my music since they know their instruments as well as anyone, and they experience my music as active performers. 

DP: Frozen in Time is music composed for percussion. That’s always interesting.  How do you, as a composer, develop a musical idea when you are essentially limited to banging on things? (Yes, this is an intentionally loaded question—feel free to have fun answering it).

AD: Well, listeners will notice that I use both unpitched and pitched percussion instruments. The pitched percussion instruments (marimba, vibraphone, crotales, glockenspiel, etc..) are as melodic as, say, a piano (the piano simply has hammers "banging on things.") As far as non pitched instruments, I feel those allow for more primal music, music from before the age of tones, scales, chords etc. I also love the fact that in a percussion concerto the percussion soloist is upfront, turning our focus to it.

DP: What are some of the exotic percussion instruments you use? Why did you select these particular instruments?

AD: You’ll hear tablas, darbukas, many types of cymbals, a cencerros (24 cowbells), djembes among others.

DP: You’ve collaborated with Martin Grubinger before. What were those projects? How did you happen to begin working with him?

AD: I wrote Frozen in Time for Martin in 2007 and he has since performed the piece around 50 times (he’s also played my double percussion concerto Spices, Perfumes, Toxins! a few times. Martin approached me after hearing some of my percussion music and asked me to write a percussion concerto for him. We met several times so I could study his style of playing and understand his musicality.

DP: What should we, as your audience, expect from Frozen in Time?

ADr: I hope you would enjoy it and experience the multitude of emotions and ideas in the piece. I think it’s a very rich piece with a lot of drama, groove, and expression. I know some people like to listen to a piece before attending a concert—which you could do with this piece by visiting my website http://dormanavner.com/music/orchestra/percussion_concerto.php

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Avner Dorman’s Frozen in Time will be performed by the Kansas City Symphony in its U. S. premiere. Martin Grubinger is the guest percussionist. Music director Michael Stern will conduct the program which also includes Joseph Haydn’s "The Representation of Chaos" from his oratorio, The Creation. Also Darius Milhaud’s La création du monde (The Creation of the World), and Antonín Dvořák’s Symphony No. 8. Concerts will be held in the Lyric Theatre on Friday, April 29 and Saturday evening, April 30 at 8 PM both nights; with a Sunday afternoon concert in the Lyric Theatre at 2 PM. As always, tickets are available at the Symphony’s box office which can be contacted at 816/471-0400 or at www.kcsymphony.org

Top Photo: Avner Dorman at Cabrillo Festival (Photo by rrjones)

By David Peironnet

Special to KCM

David Peironnet has been a concert-goer for more years than he would care to admit, and can clearly recall hearing the Kansas City Philharmonic under the baton of Hans Schweiger. This comes from someone who admits to be only 24 years old though acknowleges that his undergraduate degree was not in math but rather political science -- a group of people who are notoriously able to see only those facts they want to see in statistical data.

David has churned out the newsletter for the Friends of the Symphony - Kansas City for six or seven years. He doesn't recall and really doesn't care how many years it has been because the only thing that's important is the next deadline -- and the one after that.

This is one of a series of interviews he runs periodically usually consisting of five open-ended questions which reveal answers which can give information to the person walking into a concert hall for the first time, or like himself have been enjoying concerts for many years.

David and Kathy Peironnet frequently work at the Friends of the Symphony gift shop which is located in the lobby of the Lyric Theatre. The next time you come to a concert, stop by and say, "hello." Ask for a copy of the current FoS newsletter. If a copy isn't available, just ask and one will be mailed to you.

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