The Score

In a recent talk at Google headquarters, Paul D. Miller—better
known as DJ Spooky—jocularly described his new book,
Sound Unbound (MIT Press), as a collection of “36 essays by
36 egomaniacs.”

Miller’s wit is right on target. For the book, he corralled an
impressive roster of opinionated artists and scholars to probe how
sampling and other computer-based technology transformed the way music
is made and consumed: Jeff E. Winner ruminates on the influence of
electronic-music pioneer Raymond Scott; Steve Reich outlines his
sometimes turbulent relationship with technology; and in “What One
Must Do,” Daniel Bernard Roumain’s aphoristic musings on composing
flicker with brilliance. “By shuffling [on the iPod]… you are
participating in a compositional idea… and expanding the very
personal nature of one’s perception of music.” He also repeats
Stockhausen’s best advice to composers: “If you want to understand
music, take a dance class.”

Brian Eno, Naeem Mohaiemen (“Fear of a Muslim Planet: Hip-Hop’s
Hidden History”), Jonathan Lethem, and Pauline Oliveros (“Quantum
Improvisation”) contribute essays as well; indeed, there’s not a
single dud in the book. As in his sound work, Miller masterfully
synthesizes disparate strains of sound and thought into a new,
provocative dialogue.

Iannis Xenakis, a pioneer of digital music, prophetically
described music as “that child of number and sound.” Insisting on
the connection between music, mathematics, and
architecture, Xenakis (1922–2001) employed computer
calculations to synthesize a new and sometimes terrifyingly complex
music. Free of jargon and intimidating reams of equations, Music and
Architecture (Pendragon) collects crucial texts, architectural
plans, and scores by Xenakis, all in vivid color.

Finally, in Hallelujah Junction (Farrar, Strauss and Giroux),
John Adams makes a superb contribution to the tradition of
composer-as-writer. Adams, renowned for marrying the pulsating
minimalism of Steve Reich and Philip Glass to the expansive, big-boned
symphonic sound of Bruckner and Sibelius, recounts his struggle to find
his musical voice with surprising honesty. He tallies his
failures (which include a homemade synthesizer dubbed “the
Studebaker”) and chronicles fighting his way to make pathbreaking works
such as the monumental Harmonielehre for orchestra and the
operas Nixon in China and Doctor Atomic.

Much like the classic Conversations with Igor Stravinsky,
Adams weighs in on fellow composers (Ives, Copland, Zappa,
Michael Gordon, and others), jousts with critics (especially those who
attacked his controversial opera about a terrorist hijacking, The Death of Klinghoffer), and assesses the impact of
technology. Unlike Stravinsky, who recoiled at the prospect of
electronic music, Adams declares, “Artists should take each new step in
the evolution of these machines and turn them into instruments of
divine play. It’s what we do.” Warm and personable, Hallelujah
Junction conveys the essence of working, living, struggling, and
triumphing as a composer.

Fri 11/28

NUTCRACKER

I’ve seen Pacific Northwest Ballet’s production of the Tchaikovsky
ballet many times, and I still love it. Nutcracker tells a tale
of gently evaporating youth; in the story, young Clara goes to sleep on
Christmas Eve, dreams of fantastic creatures, and meets a handsome
prince (who eventually sails away) only to wake up several steps closer
to womanhood. Whether you consider Clara’s adventure a metaphor for
lost love or a brightly hued bourgeois elegy for childhood innocence,
Nutcracker pulls the heartstrings (mine, at any rate) with a
charming corps of kids and regal pageantry missing from childhood
today. The courtly choreography and the sumptuously colored costumes
and vivid sets designed by Maurice Sendak undoubtedly help too. I urge
you to heed the tradition established when ballet was the province of
discreet perverts and louche, minor aristocrats: Bring binoculars or
their genteel cousin, opera glasses. Through Tues Dec 30 with a slew of
matinees for the kids or still-hungover; see www.pnb.org/season/nutcracker for a complete schedule. McCaw Hall, 321 Mercer St, 441-2424, 7:30
pm, $24–$130.

FUTURE COLLECTIVE

After its inaugural show at the now-shuttered McLeod Residence, this
collective resumes its monthly evenings of “experimental jazz,
classical, electronic, and improvised music” at Gallery 1412. On the
docket: new piano pieces by Jeff Bryant, Keith White, Hanna Benn, and
others. Gallery 1412, 1412 18th Ave, 8 pm, free but donations
accepted.

MICHAEL OWCHARUK TRIO

Purring bass lines and animated, open-voiced melodies mark this
piano-propelled trio. A fresh voice on the scene, Owcharuk slyly
transmutes his affection for 20th-century classical music into jazz
without resorting to hastily fashioned hybrids. Egan’s Ballard Jam
House, 1707 NW Market St, 789-1621, 11 pm, $5.

Sat 11/29

THE CHICKERING PIANO QUARTET

Before the ascension of Steinway as the premier piano manufacturer
of the 20th century, many other companies, notably Chickering and
Broadwood, made instruments of distinct tone, design, and sonic
character. Named after one of the better piano-makers of the 19th
century (and passable-to-fine specimens in the modern era), this
period-instrument quartet proffers chamber music by Liszt, Brahms, and
Dohnányí. Also Sun Nov 30 at 3 pm. Queen Anne
Christian Church, 1316 Third Ave W, 726-6088, 8 pm,
$10–$25.

Sun 11/30

SACRED SOUNDS OF CHRISTMAS

Is it too soon to sing Christmas songs in November? Seattle Pacific
University herds a panoply of their resident ensembles—the
Concert Choir, Wind Symphony, String Orchestra, Women’s Choir, and
Men’s Choir—to traipse through a mix of seasonal hymns and
mandatory tunes such as “Silent Night.” If November seems a tad early,
wait a couple days for the University of Washington’s CarolFest, listed
below. Benaroya Hall, 200 University St, 292-2787, 4 and 7 pm,
$17/$20.

Mon 12/1

SEATTLE WOMEN’S JAZZ ORCHESTRA

One of our burg’s best big bands, this outfit plays a toe-tapping
mix of classics, overlooked tunes, and originals that embrace
Basie-esque swing, bop, and Latin jazz. With guest singer Greta
Matassa. Jazz Alley, 2033 Sixth Ave, 441-9729, 7:30 pm, $20.

Tues 12/2

CAROLFEST

Almost every UW ensemble—even the Men’s Glee Club—teams
up for the usual bout of holiday songs and chorales. For the finale,
all 500-odd performers pack the stage for the tongue-in-cheek “A
Musicological Journey Through the 12 Days of Christmas.” Meany
Theater, UW Campus, 543-4880, 7:30 pm, $10.