Talking in Circles

Performed by: andPlay
Hannah Levinson and Maya Bennardo

Video and Audio by: Evan Monroe Chapman

http://www.roberthonstein.com
http://www.andplayduo.com
http://www.evanmchapman.com

sheet music available at: http://www.mkt.com/roberthonstein

ABOUT THE PIECE:

Talking in Circles (2014)

1. Give and Take
2. At Odds
3. Agree to Disagree

Talking in Circles is a conversation that becomes an argument. Two characters are in dialogue, talking but not agreeing. They repeat themselves, making the same points in different ways. There is progress, but ultimately the conversation goes nowhere. In three movements – Give and Take, At odds, Agree to Disagree – Talking in Circles traces this evolution. Give and Take features an exchange, a constant back and forth between the instruments. At Odds, is a standoff. Lines have been drawn. Each side pleas their case, but their cries fall on deaf ears. Finally, in Agree to Disagree the pair are at an impasse. There is some common ground. The musicians find a way to come together, but it is an obstinate unity, a begrudging acceptence of differences.

ABOUT THE COMPOSER:

Celebrated for his “roiling, insistent orchestral figuration” (New York Times) and “glittery, percussive pieces” (Toronto Globe and Mail), Robert Honstein (b. 1980) is a composer of orchestral, chamber, and vocal music.

His works have been performed throughout North America by ensembles such as the Cabrillo Festival Orchestra, the New York Youth Symphony, the Albany Symphony Orchestra, eighth blackbird, Ensemble ACJW, Ensemble Dal Niente, the Mivos quartet, the Del Sol Quartet, Concert Black, TIGUE, and the Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble, among others. He has received an Aaron Copland Award, multiple ASCAP awards and other honors from SCI, Carnegie Hall, and New Music USA. He has also received residencies at the MacDowell Colony, Copland House, the Bang on a Can Summer Institute, and the Tanglewood Music Center. His debut album ‘RE: You’ was released on New Focus Recordings and a second album ‘Night Scenes from the Ospedale’, a collaboration with the Sebastians, is available on Soundspells productions.

http://www.roberthonstein.com

ABOUT THE PERFORMERS:

andPlay is committed to expanding the existing violin/viola duo repertoire through performing rarely heard works and commissioning emerging composers. This New York City based duo of Maya Bennardo, violin, and Hannah Levinson, viola, first played to an eager crowd on Fire Island in the summer of 2012, and has since performed at venues such as Roulette, The Stone, Firehouse Space and The Tank. andPlay has also appeared on the PLG Arts, East Bank New Music, Contagious Sounds, Composer’s Voice, Times Two and the Concerts on the Slope series. The success of their first commissioned piece, “Pulling Anchor” by Matt Frey, led them to pursue similar opportunities with other composers, premiering twelve new pieces since their founding, including works by David Bird, Robert Honstein, and Ian Ng. Continuing with this tradition, andPlay’s collaborations this upcoming season, include composers Paul Kerekes, Hunter Long, Ivonne Paredes, and Brian Petuch.

Maya and Hannah met while studying at Oberlin Conservatory, and continued their educations at New York University and the Manhattan School of Music.

Category: Music Video